Fate Temptress
by booknerd95
Summary: Slavery is all that Mae has known for six years. She never expected it to end anytime soon. But when she notices that she isn't an ordinary demigod she begins to wonder if she can make a change.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This idea randomly popped into my head so I'm just going to let it flow. It may be crappy and confusing but then again so am I. Also my grammar is terrible. Just please bear with me. Please Review! My fiends will give you cookies!**

**Also this is set a few weeks before Percy fights Luke on the Andromeda during the SoM.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians. That brilliant man Rick Riordan does. I only own my OCs and the fictional places I create.**

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><p>Fate Temptress<p>

It was the third time in one month for Mae to be back at the slave auctions. Even by slave standards that's two times too many. But here she was standing in front of the crowd being auctioned off to another slaver.

"Here we go, lads!" bellowed the auctioneer. "We got a fine young lass here. Strong, big boned, thirteen years of age, just perfect for starting hard work in the fields." The auctioneer stepped over to Mae and turned her around. He pulled up her shirt exposing her back to the crowd. "We got a whip scar here and there but other than that she's in perfect condition. Bidding starts at fifty drachma!"

Mae turned back around to watch as her life would be sold away again.

"Fifty!" yelled a man.

"Seventy-five!" yelled another.

That's where the bids stopped. It seemed like no one wanted another inexperienced slave. But Mae was experienced. She's been here for six years already. She's worked in every field and every weather condition imaginable. Last time she was here she earned one hundred and twenty-five drachmas! Seventy-five is just a disgrace, even if it is demeaning.

"Do I have one hundred?" asked the auctioneer. "Eighty-five even?"

"Eighty-five!" someone yelled out. Mae looked out into the crowd for the speaker but saw only indistinct faces that were waiting to see what else was up for sale.

"Sold!" yelled the auctioneer. "For eighty-five drachmas." Mae was grabbed roughly by an auction worker. She was pulled to the 'sold' pen where her hands were tied together and then tied to a post. She stood silently like the few other slaves there and waited for her new master to arrive.

Mae looked down at her bare feet and wondered how she got herself into this mess. Actually… thinking back to her last job (if you could call slaving away a job) she did help one of the people she befriended escape. Yeah that was probably it and not the time she got caught trying to steal the overseer's knife. That was probably the reason why she fetched such a low price at the auction. Slavers do like to gossip.

A worker came over to Mae. He untied her from the post and pulled her forward to where she would meet her new owner. She was startled when she saw her new owners were monsters.

Two half bear half human creatures stood in front of Mae. They were at least eight feet tall, feet like paws, claws for fingers, and they only wore blue jeans the rest of their body was covered in a shag-carpet of fur. She knew who they were. She remembers her father telling her stories from the Greek Myths. She didn't enjoy them as much as she enjoyed the Roman stories but they were fun to listen to as well. The bear creatures' names were Agrius and Oreius.

Mae stood trembling before the two monsters. She didn't know that Greek creatures bought Roman slaves. She didn't know that Greeks even existed until now.

A boy was pulled towards Mae. A length of rope was taken out and tied around Mae's waist. The other end was tied around the boy's wrists. Mae looked over her shoulder at the older youth. He was a foot taller than Mae and probably a year or two older than her was well. He had shaggy black hair and forest green eyes filled with fear.

"For these two slaves that would be…," started the worker. "Ah, one hundred and eighty-five drachmas, please."

One of the bears pulled out a sack full of drachmas and tossed it to the worker who caught it. The worker weighed it in his hand like an expert and nodded in satisfaction. "Take care then," he said and handed Mae's rope to the bears. The bears walked forward and tugged on Mae's rope nearly making her stumble to the ground. The boy steadied her and walked forward. This is going to be a long night.

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><p>While walking across the endless stretch of sand Mae thought back to the few pleasant memories she still had from before she was a slave.<p>

Mae was a daughter of Libintia, the Roman goddess of death, funerals, and corpses. She had quite a large family compared to other demigod families. She was the youngest of ten kids, three girls and seven boys. Her oldest brother Jason would push her on the tire swing at their home whenever he came for a visit. The second oldest Fred would teach her how to properly hold a scalpel when cutting open a body. The twins Josh and James would teach her sword training whenever they came home from Camp Half Blood **(A/N the Roman one)**. Mae never saw Kyle and Chris that often. Lupa kept them too busy with the rigorous training schedules she kept them on. They were always the ones to get into trouble. Madeleine was her oldest sister. She never had the time for Mae so they were never close. John was the youngest brother. He was quiet but would always put a smile on her face. Then there was Teresa. They were so close together and could never be separated, until that fateful day.

Mae was at Camp Half-Blood running through the forest when she was seven. Her brothers, Chris and Kyle, were chasing her down saying how it wasn't safe for her to be out in the woods herself. They were right. A raiding party was hiding in the woods waiting for right chance to strike the camp and capture a few half-bloods. Mae and her brothers ran straight into their trap.

The raiders weren't expecting this to happen. They decided that capturing three half-bloods was better than calling the whole night off. They jumped down from the trees and surrounded the half-bloods. Chris and Kyle pulled out their swords and tried to distract the raiders for Mae to get away. She was too young and too small to fight them off. Once she saw the chance she took it and ran off. She didn't know where she was going but away from the raiders was good enough for her.

Mae tripped on a root and fell. She jumped back up as fast as she could but it wasn't fast enough. Chris saw a raider bearing down on Mae. He took off blocking swords thrown at him. He was close now, so close to his sister. He brought his sword down on top of the raider but he froze. He looked down and saw the tip of a sword poking through his stomach. Being a son of death he wasn't scared of dying. He was used to the constant complaints spirits gave him. Dying wasn't frightening, leaving his sister and brother to the unknown was the scary thing.

He saw Mae look at him as the raider he tried to kill picked her up off the ground. Grief was clear on her face as the sword was pulled out of his stomach and he was kicked to the ground. Mae was picked up by a raider who covered up her screams for help. They carried her over to Kyle who had a sword pointed up against his throat. Once the siblings were tied together they were led out of the camp's forest they were sold at the very next auction and sold to different plantations.

Mae thought back to her brother Kyle. He was such a happy teenager when she last saw him. When he stood in front of that crowd full of slavers she could see the hurt in his eyes as he lost his dignity with each passing bid. She wondered what happened to him over the past few years. Maybe he escaped and was living a safe life back in the mortal world. Until she saw his face she would never know.

The two slaves and their owners were entering into their third hour of walking. Mae's eyes drooped with each passing step. She should be sleeping by now but the bears didn't seem like they were going to stop anytime soon. With that thought Mae dropped to the ground in exhaustion. Her arms were pulled up because of the rope. All she wanted to do was lay in the sand forever and never be bothered again but the bears wanted to get a move on.

"Get up, girl," one growled and prodded her with his paw. "We have to get a move on."

"I'm tired," Mae said.

"Get up or we'll feed you to the drakon once we get to the Andromeda."

"Make me!" If it were any other master Mae would have for sure been beaten for that.

The bear growled at Mae. The other bear whispered to his twin. The bear stopped growling and turned his attention to the boy behind Mae. "Can you carry her, boy?" The boy nodded. The bear untied his hands and pulled Mae off the ground. She climbed onto boy's back and put her arms around his neck and rested against his back. The bear's slipped the rope around the boy's neck and pulled him forward. The boy trudged forward carrying Mae on his back to their new home.

Mae shifted a few times to get into a comfortable position. The boy had such a strong back from years of working on a plantation. It was warm and comfortable, something Mae wasn't used to after sleeping on nothing but a reed pallet with a thin, ratty blanket. She snuggled onto his back and closed her eyes trying to at least get a few quality minutes of sleep. The boy even smelled sweet. It was a mix between honey and the smell of the forest after a thunderstorm. It was sweet enough to put Mae to sleep.

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><p>The boy jostled Mae. She woke up from her pleasant sleep and looked around. The scenery around them changed. Instead of the endless sand, they were walking towards a stretch of coastline. They were in the mortal world now instead of the cursed land were Mae as lived for nearly half of her life.<p>

The boy shifted Mae again. He was growing uncomfortable with Mae on his back. It wasn't as if Mae were heavy. She was quite small really. She always has been instead of her taller brothers and sisters. She didn't really want to start walking again but it was best for the boy who's been so nice to her.

"I can walk again," Mae said. The bears turned to look at her.

"We're almost there," said one. "We're not going to stop."

"But he can't hold me for much longer. Do you want to deal with two tired slaves who won't be able to work?"

The bear sighed, if bear's could sigh, and stopped. The boy sank to his knees as the bear took off the rope around his neck. Mae slipped off his back and said a quick thank you. The boy rubbed his neck and slightly nodded. He stood up and stretched with the bears watching him closely to see if he would make a run for it. When he stood still the bears made quick work of tying his hands together and then tying Mae and him together. With that they walked forward towards the coastline where a small motor boat waited for them.

The slaves sat side by side and watched as the bears started the boat and drove it out towards sea. The sun was just starting to come up over the water. Mae did not want to start work whenever she reached her new home. She's been walking all night long and was in a grumpy mood today. She stared down into the dark waters below. It's been long since she's seen the ocean. She wanted to touch the water and feel it spray onto her face but having your hands tied and trying to touch the water wouldn't be the smartest thing to do.

After a few minutes of bouncing atop the water a shadow casted over the boat catching Mae's attention. She turned to see a massive white cruise ship looming over head. It was at least ten stories tall and painted in black was the name of the ship, _Princess Andromeda._

_Well this is much different from a plantation, _she thought. _But it'll be much better to work on._

The boat was lifted onto the ship where Mae and the other slave were pushed onto the deck. A tall man with short cropped sandy blonde hair stood in front of them. A long scar marred his face. He was dressed casual like he was tourist.

"Are these them?" he asked the bears and eyed the two slaves carefully.

"Yes, sir," said the bear who always seemed to talk. "Wasn't as expensive as we thought. The girl was relatively cheap."

"That's good I don't want to be broke buying up slaves." He circled the slaves eyeing them carefully debating if it was a good idea to delve into Roman affairs. Romans were strong warriors but these two didn't look like the fighting type. The girl was small but had a dark look suggesting she could fight well. The boy on the other hand was strong looking but thin. He could certainly be useful in the future.

The man nodded in satisfaction. "Agrius, take these two to their room for now. Let them rest for tomorrow. Tired slaves isn't what I need right now."

"Yes, sir," said the bear who pulled on Mae's rope to lead her down a hallway.

"Excuse me, master," Mae said as polite as she could. The man turned to them.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Well since you're our new master I was wondering if you could tell us your name, you know, for formalities' sake."

The man seemed pleased in hearing this as would any new slave owner would, hearing that the slaves they just bought would be respectful. "My name is Luke Castellan, little girl. Welcome to the Princess Andromeda, your new home."

The man, Luke, was nice, or so it seemed. Mae offered a weak smile and let herself be taken away by the bear. Something seemed off about him. He was hiding a secret, something dark. But discovering that secret was going to have to wait. Sleep was the number one priority right now. Work was second, and then sleuthing came next.

The bear untied the slaves and pushed them into a small room locking the door behind him. The room was small, puny even. A bunk bed was pushed to the side, a chest stood underneath the window, and a small bathroom led through a door. This room was primarily for sleeping and that was it. But Mae didn't care. Once she saw a mattress and a pillow she could be in Elysium for all she knew. She didn't bother washing her face or hands for the night or day whatever one. She jumped onto the low bunk and slipped beneath the warm non-scratchy blankets and sank into the beautiful world of sleep.

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><p>The Fates looked down at their creation. They enjoyed spinning and toying with Mae's life. It was probably the most fun they've ever had in a long time. But for serious matters this girl was going to go through a lot before fulfilling what they had in store for her. She's already been through so much already but she was going to bend the rules a little. She was going to live up to her name as a Fate Temptress. Now it was back to spinning and weaving for now, spinning and weaving before their work would be fully revealed.<p>

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><p><strong>Crappy and confusing I know but I'm tired and I stayed up extra late to get this done. So please REVIEW! MY FIENDS DEPEND ON IT!<strong>

**Plus if you have any questions regarding the Romans and slave auctions and why Luke knows about Romans all will hopefully be answered in the next chapter. Bear with me as I try to find my writing style in this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Okay so as I promised here's the explanation about the slave auction, raiders, where the slave auction is and how Luke knows about the Romans. Phew that was a lot to right. **

**Warning: The first part of this chapter is mainly a filler and it's really crappy. Please don't be put off by this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except my characters.**

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><p>Chapter Two<p>

Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a desert, with the hot sand and the unrelenting sun beating down on your whole body with nothing to cover you up. No shade but the clothes on your back to protect you…. Excellent. Now imagine this place being hidden by the Mist and being able to move around from place to place just like the center of the Labyrinth. It moves from place to place wherever there seems to be a group of demigods. This desert seems to hang around San Francisco and Long Island. Sometimes it stays in the middle capturing all the demigods that come by travelling on quests. Once you got that down, you have what the slaves call the Living Underworld.

The Living Underworld was a part of Gaea's curse on the gods' children after her children were defeated in the first Titan War and imprisoned for all eternity. The demigods would be hunted and enslaved by Gaea's own creations, the raiders. Monsters formed out of sand so they could never die unless they weren't touching the ground. The ruthless monsters obeyed their master and enslaved demigods by the hundreds, starting out with Greeks then moving onto Romans once the Roman Empire took over. Over the next few centuries the raiders noticed something, Romans were much better slaves.

Greeks were okay at first, they didn't fight as much as the Romans did so it was easy to catch them but the Romans, because of their training, were strong and disciplined, perfect for slaves. After the next few centuries the Greeks forgot all about the Living Underworld. They never had to fear the raiding parties since they didn't remember them and the raiders didn't care about them. It's been long since a Greek demigod was taken as a slave. Romans, on the other hand, were prized slaves plus they fought in groups. With the right amount of raiders in each party they could take several Romans at once.

Once captured the Romans are taken to the auctions where they are branded on the forearm with a brand in the shape of a skull meaning they are slaves for life. From there they are brought in front of a crowd where they can bring in from fifty to three hundred drachmas. Most slaves are bought to work on a plantation where the produce from the plantation is sent to feed other monsters all around the country. Others are bought by monsters who want a personal slave to run errands for them.

All slaves have one wish. Escape. It's rare for slaves to escape though. If slaves do escape, Bounty Hunters are sent out to track them down and bring them back to their masters. They're punished by being whipped and some are returned to the auctions where they are sold yet again. Troublesome slaves are cheap. Most go for under one hundred drachmas but that's bad for the slaves. Whips scars mean no one will buy you and if they do they work you harder than the other slaves to make sure you don't try to escape or do anything bad again.

When Kronos started to rise from Tartarus he knew that having Roman demigods on his side would definitely help his side to overthrow the Olympians. He told the leader of his army, Luke Castellan, to buy into the slave auctions. Luke obeyed and sent in people to scout out the auctions and buy slaves that would make good soldiers in the future. First he bought two. For the first few days he would watch them carefully and see if they really were the right ones to buy. If they were worth the money, Luke would buy in bulk and build up Kronos' army with some of the strongest fighting demigods known.

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><p>During the first few years of Mae's enslavement it was honestly the worst time of her life. Once she was separated from her brother Kyle she was lost and alone. She fetched a low price for her first auction but it was only because she was so young and small, nobody wants an inexperienced slave. The first place she was taken to was a plantation. She worked amongst the plants that grew in the parts that still held fertile soil. She worked with a dozen other demigods, slaving away in the hot, unrelenting sun. She never could keep up with the other slaves. All Mae really wanted to do was run and hide in a nice dark place and cry. That's all she wanted. If an older slave hadn't taken pity on her, Mae certainly would not have lasted beyond a month at that plantation.<p>

The older slave was in his mid-teens, probably. He was another mischievous son of Mercury but something told him that the young slave needed guidance, as well as comfort. The son of Mercury watched over Mae and taught her how to hold the tools she was given and how to block out the pain from stubbing her bare feet against the ground. Slaves weren`t allowed to wear shoes. It was easier to catch them if they ever ran away across the hot sand and it made them distinguishable in a large crowd. After a few weeks of living together, Mae became good friends with the older slave. She looked up to the older demigod like she would to her older brothers and sisters.

After her first year of slavery Mae gave up hope for ever being rescued. She drew away from the other slaves around her and suppressed any feelings deep down inside of her. The only person she would be willing to talk to do would be her mentor, the son of Mercury. But all good things come to an end.

There was a bad drought during the second year of working on the plantation. The crops dried and withered and the crop that could be harvested was sold at a low price at the auctions. The master of the plantation resulted in selling some of his best slaves just so he could afford to buy food for them all. In that bunch was the son of Mercury, Mae's mentor. His last words to the young daughter of Libintia were to stay strong and live up to her name. What did her name have anything to do with this? All she knew about the name 'Mae' was it was pronounced for the month of May and it meant 'bitter' in Hebrew. The only problem with this was YOU CAN'T LIVE UP TO A MONTH! Did he mean she was supposed to be bitter for all eternity? Too many questions to ask and there was no one to ask them to. Life sucks being a slave.

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><p><strong>Yeah, I know, pretty crappy eh? ;)<strong>

**Okay so for the next few chapters… I think….. I will be having flash back moments to give you a little more background on Mae and the strange silent slave she rooms with. Yeah I'm just gonna stop talking now.**

**Please review! The fiends have made delicious virtual chocolate chip cookies just for you, the reader. And you better hurry because I'm tempted to eat them right now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I would like to give thanks to reboo345 who was the first person to review my story. It was just what I needed. Extra chocolate chip cookies for you. Specially made by the fiends.**

**Review please! The fiends live off of them.**

**Disclaimer: I'm gonna say it but I'm not happy with it. I don't own anything from PJO. There I said it. Happy now?**

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><p>Chapter Three<p>

Sleep is a beautiful thing. For Mae, she's never slept so long and undisturbed in her life. Another plus was the mattress. She completely forgot what a mattress felt like. To her felt like a cloud while to the rest of us it would feel like sleeping on a carpeted floor. Mae was in Elysium right now.

After sleeping for many hours, Mae finally opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to rid herself of the images of the strange dream she had last night. All she saw was three old grannies knitting a pair of socks, and a giant black bird chained to a wall with one of its wings broken. By demigods standards that dream could mean absolutely anything. At least it wasn't a nightmare.

A few cat naps later Mae got out of bed to look around this small (tiny) room. First she looked in the dresser that was beside the bed. She opened the top drawer and saw two sets of clothes just for her. Two sets! She couldn't believe her luck in scoring a place like this. At the plantations they only got one set of spare clothes and they were always the same colors. Brown, light brown, and if the master was a little rowdy, the slaves got to wear khaki. Instead of brown, Mae got a set of black pants, a rosy pink t-shirt, jean shorts, a dark blue long sleeved shirt, and other feminine under garments and hygiene products. Now Mae had to figure out when to use these items. She never really asked the older female slaves around her. It was an embarrassing topic to bring up and she certainly wasn't going to ask the boy slave she came here with. Like always, Mae would just have to figure it out by herself.

Mae took out the shorts and t-shirt to change into. She searched through the rest of the dresser to see if there was anything else in there. The boy had his own clothes in the second drawer. In the third drawer Mae hit the jackpot. Along with a set of spare bed sheets she found two sets of green flip flops.

_FLIP FLOPS! SHOES! FOOTWEAR! _She thought. _I HAVE FOOTWEAR!_

She took out the smaller of the two sets and slipped them onto her calloused feet. They fit perfectly with a little room to grow in to. Mae felt like rejoicing but the boy was still sleeping and the door to the room was still locked from the outside. But wouldn't that be a spectacle to see a slave running and rejoicing through the halls screaming out 'I HAVE FOOTWEAR'. It was tempting to try and pick the lock and start running through the halls but Mae didn't want her master to see her so reckless. It's best to make a good impression first, celebrating would have to wait.

Mae took off the flip flops and tossed them onto her bed and went into the bathroom to wash up. She quietly closed the door the bathroom and started to undress for a nice, long shower. She twisted the tap to as hot as the water could be and slipped into the stall and shut the cloudy glass door.

The warm water poured onto her back removing years of grime and dust. She hadn't had a shower with this warm of water in years. They had a giant, stone wash basin to wash in at the plantation. The water was always cold and there was never any soap. Mae always had greasy hair and smudges of dirt on her face but since all the other female slaves looked the same Mae felt like it was normal to look like you just slept in the gutter. Luckily she would never have to look like that any time soon. She took the soap off the ledge in the stall and lathered it in her hands. Even though she's only been here for a couple of hours everything was so fascinating to her, even the soap bubbles Mae created in her hands captured her fascination. She smiles and started to clean off her body.

Mae stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of the towels from the towel rack mounted off the wall and dried her off her squeaky clean body. She paused for a minute and looked at herself in the mirror over the sink. Her dark brown hair was full of knots and her dark red eyes, that almost looked dark brown or black, were glazed over with hunger and the longing to be free. Her cheekbones showed against the tanned skin of her face along with her ribs. They weren't too visible to cause concern but she could use a little more meat on her to be considered healthy. She slipped into her clean clothes and opened the door.

The smell of food was the first thing that Mae noticed. She peeked around the corner and saw that a tray of food was set on the floor. She crept up to it and looked at the food. There were two sandwiches, some fruit, and two bottles of orange juice and water. She picked up one of the plates and filled up one of the sandwiches and half of the fruit and one of the orange juice and water bottles. The sandwich had bacon, tomato, and lettuce put on top of it. Mae remembers her brothers calling it a BLT. She hasn't had one in such a long time. She hasn't had something this rich in a long time. The only meat they could get in the Living Underworld was Pegasus, centaur or griffon. All three were chewy and barbaric anyway so she hasn't touched meat in years. It was the best thing she's ever tasted.

After having her fill of the delicious food and finishing both of the bottles she collapsed onto her bed to have another nap. As long as she didn't screw up like she always did this place would work out just fine.

**Flashback**

At the last place Mae worked at the last thing she said while she was there was 'run'. Mae and her friend, Ben a son of the god of light and soldiers (Mithras) ran through the cornfields late at night. She had to get him out of this place. A son of Mithras was rare. He would be considered a blessing in Camp Half Blood. If he made it there then Mithras might bless the camp and stop the horrible raids.

She dashed through the endless cornfields aware of Ben just ahead of her. The dogs were gaining on her. Snapping at her heels only making her more determined to run away. She took out the knife she stole from her overseer and turned just in time to sink the knife up to the handle in the nearest dog. It yelped and fell back. There was no time to take it out so she left the body and ran.

Mae could see the edge of the field getting closer and closer. She smiled a little as she saw Ben scamper over the fence and book it into the endless expanse of desert. She cheered silently for him, tripping over a cornstalk as she went. She tumbled to the ground giving the dogs the advantage to surround her and start barking like mad. As long as she drew the attention away from Ben she was perfectly fine with being caught and punished.

Her master finally appeared, walking through the rows towards her. "Thought you could get away didn't you?" he sneered. "Get up, slave, it's time you got what's coming to you."

Mae knew what that meant but she didn't mind. Ben was away. As long as her master didn't call for the Bounty Hunters everything would go according to plan.

The master tied Mae to post after taking her shirt off leaving her back bare to feel the sting of his lash. He brought the whip down hard on her back probably ten times. He cut her loose after that and tossed her t-shirt over her to cover up her bare chest. She crawled back to her pallet in the slave barracks and slept the rest of the night away knowing she would be sold the next day. She doesn't know why she did it. It just felt right to help Ben escape. To Mae helping him escape was the most rewarding part of her day.

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><p><strong>Sometimes I feel mean to my characters. I just love making their lives so horrible. That would be the morbid side of me. Heh heh heh.<strong>

**Don't forget the fiends love it when you review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**It's been a while since I've updated and I've had several chapters done for the longest time. I'm just really, really, really lazy.**

**Oh and I forgot to mention this on the last chapter. Yes I added griffons to the story and yes they eat Pegasus and centaur meat in the Living Underworld. Don't ask me how they just do in my mind.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO although I wish sometimes I do but I never will. **

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

Mae looked at the brand on her arm wondering if anything would make it go away. If she had a knife or a sharp edge she could try to scar it up so badly that it would be unrecognizable. She looked over at the plate on the ground. Maybe if she smashed it…

The boy moved up above her disturbing her thoughts. She saw his feet dangle over the edge of the bed. He dropped down lightly to the ground and looked around the room. His eyes lay on the dresser. He stared at it for a moment as if it were the most interesting thing he's ever seen.

"There are clothes and flip flops for you in the second and third drawer," said Mae. The boy stepped to the dresser and opened the second drawer. He took out a set of clothes and disappeared into the bathroom for about fifteen minutes coming out clean and fresh. He threw his clothes in a corner of the room where Mae threw hers.

"There's food near the door for you as well." The boy turned and looked at the door. He went over and slid down against the door. He ate the food slowly savoring each bite he took.

Mae noticed something about the boy as he ate. He seemed awkward around her. He hasn't said a word since they met, he preferred body gestures to actual words, and overall he was extremely quiet. When he walks he's sure to be light on his feet and is sure not to make a sound. With curiosity nagging at her and the ADHD building up in her from being cooped up for FAR too long, Mae plopped herself down in front of the boy, clearly invading his personal space, eager for some answers.

She started it out slowly at first and smiled trying to act friendly. "Hello, I'm Mae." The boy only twisted the cap off the water bottle and gulped down the water. He didn't look at her or even acknowledge her presence. "You know, when I first saw the flip flops I felt like running through the ship screaming out that I have footwear. Talk about simple pleasures." The boy's mouth twitched like he wanted to smile but was unsure about it. "You can talk to me if you want." He shrugged. "Can you at least tell me your name?"

The boy thought about it for a minute. He opened his mouth a little bit and tried to speak but the words didn't come. They were stuck in his throat like always. He closed his mouth and tried to think of a different way of communicating. He cleared the floor in front of him and motioned the girl, Mae, to sit beside him. She did. He started out by drawing on the floor with his finger. Mae watched him curiously.

"T," Mae said. The boy nodded. He drew again. "Y, I think." The boy nodded and motioned her to keep going. "Okay, so your name is Ty. Short for Tyler, I presume?" The boy, Tyler, gave a small smile for a reward and nodded. "Can I ask you a question?" Tyler nodded. "Why won't you talk?"

Great. Now he has to figure how to answer that question. He didn't want to bring up those memories again. They're all too painful. Painful, pain, being scared, knives, blood, bruises, scars, the horrible scars covering his upper back and arms. If he showed the scars maybe she would understand.

Tyler looked over at Mae. She still waited patiently though, looking at him with those huge dark red eyes. He looked a little too long into her eyes and images of corpses flashed in his mind. He looked away, a daughter of death no doubt. He picked up one of her small hands and let her fingers trace the scars on his arms.

Mae didn't understand at first to what she was doing. She took a closer look at his arms. They were well muscled and tanned like any slaves would be, but she felt bumps and irregularities. The scars were faint at first but the closer she got to his shirt the worse they seemed. Tyler lifted up his shirt for Mae to see his back. The scars were much worse on his back. They were longer and looked deeper than the ones on his arms. She pulled down his shirt and looked Tyler in the eyes.

"Did one of your masters beat you?" she asked. Tyler met her gaze and sadly nodded. "Why did they beat you?" Tyler tapped his throat and tired to show as if he were speaking. "So, you spoke and they beat you?" He nodded.

**Flashback**

It wasn't uncommon for the Raiders to beat their slaves. If the slaves were disobedient or if they did something wrong the Raiders beat them with whips, their own hands, and of course knives.

Tyler wasn't at the camp when he was taken. He was at home with his father for the winter. He never knew who is godly parent was only that she was an earth goddess so that narrowed it down a lot. He's heard that powerful demigods attract monsters and Raiders alike. Raiders never attacked away from camp unless if it was worth the trouble. Apparently he was.

He was one of the younger slaves at the auction. He was eleven when he stood in front of the crowd watching as the bids grew higher and higher. He brought in one hundred and fifty drachmas for his first auction. That was high for a first time show. When he arrived at his home Tyler was put in his place along side the other slaves and worked like he was bought to.

The time he slipped up was when he spoke back to his overseer. He always had a quick tongue that got away from him. He never meant to talk back to his overseer, he merely suggested that he shouldn't beat a slave if she worked slower than the others but that was putting it lightly. Add some swears coming from an eleven year old and a temper and you have the perfect mix for a beating.

The overseer brought the boy over to the master of the plantation. The master knew what to do with slaves like these. Make sure they never talk again. Cutting out their tongue used to be the proper punishment but it was a bit messy and sometimes the slaves never fully learned their lesson. The master pulled out one of his knives and dragged Tyler far away from where the slaves lived so they wouldn't hear him yell out.

First it started out with simple cuts. Knicks and scrapes really. Tyler wasn't ready to give in though. Romans fought to the death. It's what he was taught at the camp. Never back down, only the strong survive. The master seemed to notice this.

He cuffed the boy on the side of the head making him stumble to the ground. He jerked the boy up to his feet and sliced along his back really digging into his skin this time. The boy screamed out, the master sliced him open again. This time Tyler only yelped. He grew quieter and quieter with each passing cut. Once the master was satisfied with the punishment he turned Tyler to face him.

"Now, you won't talk unless your master permits you, understand?" the master growled. Tyler mutely nodded and was shoved towards the slave barracks. He hasn't said a word since.

**Back to real time**

Mae sat by Tyler wondering how she could get him to talk to her. She felt bad for him. Considering all things she's been fortunate. It was the one thing she wished she had the guts to do. Kill every single Raider known in the Roman world. But she was just a slave. A nobody, a spec of dust… No… She was lower than that. She was a spec of dust OF dust, if that was even possible. No one cared about them, not even their parents, the gods.

_Stupid gods and stupid Fates, _she thought. _They never cared about us at all. If they did neither of us would be in this situation._

For the rest of the day the two slaves just sat there. Tyler didn't talk and Mae had nothing else to say. She didn't know what to say after she saw the scars. Maybe all the poor guy needed was someone to trust in.

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><p><strong>Who thinks I'm mean to Tyler? (raises hand) I'm always mean to my characters though. Just wait till later when I bring in the others. Each have their own…. AHH I'm giving too much away. Bad, Sue, bad!<strong>

**R&R please, the fiends are now making chocolate cakes for you all.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So I think my story is a bit slow moving but you know I have to explain some things so you won't become confused a bit later. Plus I rewrote chapter 2 like three times before getting it right. Stupid confusing brain. Sometimes I think my brain has a mind of its own. A brain within a brain. Anyway on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: The fiends said they wanted to do the disclaimer this time. So here are the brilliant master chief fiends.**

**Fiends: AEGWBWBWRBW(Sue doesn't own PJO)**

**Me: Good job, fiends. Your speech is coming along quite nicely. NOW WHO WANTS CHOCOLATE?**

**Fiends: EEEEEEEEEE!**

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

Someone knocked on the slaves' door the next morning. Mae woke up from a fitful sleep and looked around the room. The knocking game again, _rap, rap ,rap. _Mae stumbled out of bed and poked Tyler in the side. He grumbled and flipped over. She poked him again and didn't stop until he got the message and got up. He dropped down silently and slipped on his green flip flops.

The door unlocked and opened. A Hispanic demigod dressed in Greek battle armour stood before them holding a set of keys. "Luke wants to see you," he said. "Follow me." He turned down the hallway and the slaves obediently followed.

The slaves walked silently through the halls. They passed by mortals which was strange. They didn't seem to notice that monsters were also abroad the ship. They seemed to be in some sort of trance. They said things in unison and their eyes were glazed over with a thick layer of magic. And we can't forget about the monsters now can we? Monsters of every shape, size, and dimension walked along the halls talking about how more and more were joining every day, whatever that was supposed to mean.

The demigod led them into a large decorated room. Monsters and demigods alike ate breakfast at a large table enjoying their time. The slaves' master, Luke Castellan, lounged in a chair in casual clothing once again. A sword rested across his lap as he stared at the slaves who stood before him.

"I assume you enjoyed your day off yesterday," Luke said.

"Yes, master, we did," Mae said while Tyler nodded.

"Please there is no need to call me 'master'," Luke said calmly.

"Then what are we allowed to call you? It's against slave laws to call you anything but master."

Luke raised an eyebrow looking confused. "Is it really? Well we only have one master on this ship and it isn't me. You can call me 'Luke' or 'sir' if you feel uncomfortable calling me Luke." Mae looked at Tyler he smiled a little. "Now today you will be working in the training arena. You'll be setting up targets for archery and the straw dummies for sword practice. Afterwards you will clean up and help prepare for the next training session. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," said Mae.

Luke looked towards Tyler expecting an answer. "And what about you?"

"He doesn't talk, sir," Mae explained.

"And why not?"

"He can't, sir," she said. "He was punished not to."

"I see. Well, then, Chris if you could show them to the arena." The Hispanic demigod, Chris, nodded and bowed. He turned and the slaves followed.

Mae couldn't believe how slack her master…. Wait…. How slack _Luke _was. No longer calling anyone master was going to be easy to get used to. Tyler even smiled, well a little.

Chris showed them to the training arena where demigods and monsters alike were arming themselves for a training session. Chris pointed to a set of disassembled straw dummies. The slaves went over to it and started to work. Chris went over to the group of demigods.

Mae strapped on the armour of the dummies while Tyler hoisted the dummies onto the supports so they were up straight. Mae found it odd when Chris handed her a stack of orange t-shirts to dress the dummies with. The even stranger part was when she read the inscription on the t-shirts. CAMP HALF BLOOD. It didn't make sense. Camp Half Blood had purple t-shirts, not orange.

The demigods and monsters stepped forward towards the dummies. Mae and Tyler stepped back to let the demonstration begin. The starting exercise composed of hacking away at the dummies until they were piles of straw on the ground. The demigods fought fiercely but it wasn't Roman style. Romans weren't as….disorganized. These guys just hacked away at the dummies like they were, well, dummies. Romans treated everything as if they were real opponents. The straw dummies back at camp were sometimes even enchanted to come alive to give more of a challenge. Mae looked at the orange t-shirts and then back at the demigods. Was it possible that Greek demigods exist just as Greek monsters do?

Mae and Tyler set up the dummies once again quickly for the next session to begin. This time one demigod fought at a time in front of a couple of Scythian dracaenae. It was one-on-one training to perfect the demigods fighting skills. The snake women would criticize the demigods fighting skills in hope to build them up and make them better soldiers. The first demigod stepped forward and viciously attacked the dummy. The demigod stabbed the dummy through the torso and ripped upwards pulling out more straw which meant more cleaning up to do.

People passed by the windows staring down into arena. Mae looked over at the people being led away by the bear monster. There were three people being led away, a Cyclops, by the looks of it, a young girl with curly blond hair, and a boy with black hair. The boy stared down into the arena and caught a glimpse of the sword training before being jabbed away by the bear's javelin. Maybe they were more slaves to work on the ship but Mae's never seen a Cyclops as a slave. They were usually the ones who bought slaves. The mystery on this ship is getting bigger and bigger with each passing minute.

Once the practices were done the slaves were left to clean up the mess while the demigods started training together for real training. Mae swept up the straw into a large pile on the floor. She picked it up it bit by bit and brought it over to Tyler who stuffed new dummies for tomorrow or whenever the next training session would be.

Once training was done the demigods swarmed the refreshment table and left the arena. Chris came up to the slaves and said they were needed to clean up in the kitchen. They followed him out of the arena and to the kitchen where massive amounts of pots and pans were waiting to be scrubbed clean, dried, and stacked away. It would take hours just to get the place clean but Mae wasn't going to complain about it.

The kitchen wasn't as large as the others on the ship. This one was just for the important demigods and monsters on the ship. The kitchen was large enough that it would take the rest of the day to clean it. The demigod left and the slaves went to work. Mae filled up one of the sinks with hot soapy water. The second she filled with just warm rinse water and the third with bleach water for sanitizing. One by one the dishes were scrubbed and cleaned. Tyler dried the dishes and set them aside to put them away later.

Mae pulled out the sink stoppers and let the water drain. She turned and looked around the kitchen. There were so many cupboards and she didn't know what any of them held.

Mae looked up at Tyler. "Where do you think we should start?" Tyler gave it some thought. He pointed at himself and then pointed at one end of the kitchen. They he pointed at Mae and pointed at the other end of the kitchen. "So," she said, "I start at one end and you start at the other." He nodded. "Okay then, let's get started."

She went to her end and opened cupboards and drawers at random to find where everything went. She left the ones they needed open and closed the others. Tyler did the same until they met in the middle. They both picked up the dishes off the counter and stacked them away in their rightful places. A few hours later and the kitchen counters were gleaming and Mae's hands were red and raw from scrubbing.

"Crap," said Mae, "that was a lot of dishes." Tyler nodded and hung the last towel on the towel rack attached to the counter.

Mae wandered around the kitchen looking for any scraps of food she and Tyler could nibble on. She opened a random cupboard and saw boxes of crackers. She was about to take one out when a demigod came into the kitchen. She shut it abruptly and turned to face the demigod. It was only Chris.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said a little too quickly.

Chris raised an eyebrow but didn't push the matter any further. "Luke said you were done for the day. You can do what you want for the rest of the afternoon. Just ask one of the bears to take you back to your room."

"Thank you, sir," Mae said politely. She could tell Chris was pleased with being called 'sir'. He left the slaves in the kitchen.

Mae opened the cupboard full of crackers and pulled out two already open boxes. She passed one to Tyler and opened up her own box. She nibbled the crackers one by one realizing she hasn't eaten anything all day. Clutching the box in one hand, Mae looked through the other cupboards for anything else to eat. She stumbled upon the fridge and opened it. She pulled out some bottles of water and juice along with a bag of grapes. She set the spread over the counter and called Tyler over. They ate their fill and put everything away exactly the way it was found.

It was late at night by the time the slaves finally left the kitchen. They wandered around the ship for a while trying to find their way back to their room on their own. They failed miserably and had to ask the bears to escort them back to their room. This time after the bears left, the door was left unlocked. Mae was happy about that. Luke obviously trusted them enough to sleep with the door open.

Mae kicked off her flip flops and washed off her face in preparation for bed. Tyler stepped in after her and closed the door. Mae flopped down on her bed and thought about today. Her head was swimming with questions. She wanted to know more about the Greeks. Her father told stories when she was little about them but other than that she knew nothing about them and the way of their life. Did they have to live with the raiders to?

Tyler came out of the bathroom and went to turn off the light. "Do you think Greeks exist?" Mae blurted out. Tyler dropped his hand and turned to Mae. He shrugged. Mae stood up and walked around a little. "I mean, the bears who bought us are from a Greek myth, the demigods don't fight at all like Romans, and the t-shirts we dressed the dummies said Camp Half Blood on it, but the t-shirts were orange and not purple like at our camp." She stopped and turned to Tyler who had his eyebrows scrunched together in thought. "Do you think it's possible they could exist?" Tyler looked toward her and waved his hand in a so-so fashion. Mae sighed, "You know it would just be easier if you talked to me." Tyler only smirked and switched off the light. Mae stumbled back to her bed and slipped under the covers. She fell asleep from exhaustion in a matter of minutes.

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><p>Loud voices and heavy footsteps woke Mae up. She stuck her head under the pillow and tried to block out all the commotion outside her door. That didn't work. She grudgingly got up and opened the door slightly. Five teenage boys all around her age or one or two years older were setting up their own rooms across the hall. The rooms looked larger than Mae's. It looked like they had their own kitchenette in that room.<p>

They all talked very loudly as they set down their bags and unpacked their things. And older man wearing a cowboy hat came over to the boys' room and looked inside. Mae couldn't help but over hear.

"I talked to Luke and it looks like this'll be a permanent job placement," said the man with the hat. "I just wanted to tell you guys that you've been the best Bounty Hunters I've ever had."

"Well," said one of the boys, "I think I'm speaking for all of us here that you've the best master we've all had. It's been an honour working for you."

"Well, good luck then, boys." The man left after the boys in the room said their goodbyes.

Mae opened up her door a little more and sneaked over to the room across the hall. She got a little glimpse of the room. Only one boy was in her line of vision. He was the biggest and obviously the oldest. He stood at least six feet and had very, very short blond hair. He also had thick silver cuffs circling his wrists with runes carved into them. Mae saw something on the top of his hand. It was a brand, a skull with arrows going through it instead of crossbones. The only people who wore brands like that were Bounty Hunters, slave catchers. Mae backed away from the door. She hated Bounty Hunters, as did all other slaves. They were treated differently.

Footsteps crept up beside Mae. Mae turned and was face to face with one of the Bounty Hunters. His black hair fell across his forehead and his olive skin still looked flawless from the day they first met.

"Mae," the Bounty Hunter said, "is that really you?" He smiled at her and took in the sight of her.

Mae was dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say to him, to Eric. He was nice to her at one point but he was a Bounty Hunter, a _privileged _slave. Slaves hated them because of it and what they did.

Mae backed away from Eric and shut her door.

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><p><strong>I thought this chapter turned out better than I thought. And also I realized there isn't much dialogue. I think that'll change in the next few chapters or so. I'm not really sure though.<strong>

**R&R please. The fiends like the reviews.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I thought about it and I said to myself… self today you are going to give these wonderful people two chapters in one day. I thought it was a great idea since you guys reviewed and made me and the fiends happy. Special thanks goes out to Sailor Girl3 who added my story to their favourites and to DaughterOfPoseidon101 who reviewed and also added my story to her favourites. Thank you ever so much. We here appreciate it.**

**So this chapter will explain about the Bounty Hunters and some other random stuff.**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Rick Riordan. Except my characters and the plot line.**

**Warning: The crappiness ensues**

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><p>Chapter Six<p>

Bounty Hunters, otherwise known as slave catchers. A group a five well trained and armed demigods who are bought from the auctions because of their ruthless nature. Usually they have whip scars all over their back and are never bought. These slaves will stand in front of the crowd and no one will shout out a bid. After that they are sent back to the slave pits to wait for tomorrow's auction. Only one person buys troubled slaves like these. He's the boss man, the head honcho, the man with the cowboy hat.

The man with the hat was a demigod slave at first. He was one of the first Bounty Hunters to be trained. He was offered immortality by the raider who used to train the Bounty Hunters. He took it and picked up the mantle to keep the Bounty Hunter business going.

Bounty Hunters are despised by regular slaves. They get better living conditions and are paid for their services. Whenever a slave goes missing the master of that slave goes to the Bounty Hunters and requests their services. Usually one Bounty Hunter goes out to capture the slave. More go out if more slaves go missing. If they come back successful, which they usually do, they are paid a large sum of drachmas. Most go to the man with the hat; the rest is split between the Bounty Hunters to be spent on their own wants and needs.

That's the first big reason why slaves hate Bounty Hunters. The second reason is they get their freedom back once they are retired from Bounty Hunting duties and can leave the Living Underworld forever. They get their freedom and the other slaves don't. But who said being a slave was fair?

The current Bounty Hunters now are all boys between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. The oldest is Joel, a son of Vulcan, god of forges and fire. He also has pyro kinesis and in times of anger releases balls of flame from his palms. **(A/N think about it this way. He's like Leo Valdez except Roman)** He wears silver cuffs with runes in them to suck in the power of his fire using abilities. It's for his safety and others around him.

The next Bounty Hunter is Sid, a son of Mercury, god of messengers and travel. He's a small kid compared to the others and his innocent blue eyes and reddish-brown hair make him seem nice and sweet right up until the point where he's holding your wallet in his hand taking out all the cash you got. Don't let those blue eyes deceive you. Your wallet may go missing, and if you don't have a wallet well he's just as fast as cutting off one your fingers, being the little psychopath that he is.

Jim is a son of Volturnus, a minor god of water. He's the easy going Bounty Hunter, the most trustworthy of all of them. He makes sure the others keep their cool when the situation gets tough and is the most rational of all of them.

Zach has the trademark black hair and dark eyes as a son of Pluto, god of the Underworld. He also has a temper just like his father. The way he found out he was a demigod was being captured by the raiders. Imagine standing in front of the crowd watching yourself being sold without a clue of what's going on. Some say as child of the Big Three he's the one of the Great Prophecy, but he's a few months younger than the child of Jupiter, Jason Grace who is the Prophecy child.

The last to complete the quintet is Eric. He's a son of Rivulatus, goddess of revenge. He's the one who takes care of the slaves they capture before they are taken to the auction.

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><p>The day after Mae let Ben escape she was sent back out to the fields, which was surprising to her. She thought she was going to be sold after that little 'incident', apparently not.<p>

She was picking off ripe tomatoes as the day's harvest and dropping them into the basket at her feet. As it filled up she lifted it up and brought it over to the wagon to be taken away later on in the day. She picked up another empty basket and walked back to the tomato vines. Mae dropped to her knees and picked off the nearest red tomato.

_Any more of this, _she thought, _and I'm gonna become a child of Ceres._

Mae sat back on her knees and swept the sweat off her brow. She saw people in dressed in black wandering the plantation. Mae cursed under her breath, _damn Bounty Hunters._ She kept her head low like all the other slaves and tried not to draw attention to herself.

The crunching of boots across the dry ground caught Mae's attention. A shadow came over her shielding her from the sun. She smiled. "Time for break already, Maxine?" She turned expecting to see one her friends only to see the tall, dark figure of a Bounty Hunter. "Oh, I'm sorry I thought you were one of my friends."

The Bounty Hunter smirked and bent down to help Mae pick tomatoes. "That's okay," he said and dropped a tomato in the basket. "I was wondering if you know where the slave, the son of Mithras named Ben, would go."

Mae froze probably showing that she knew something. "No, I'm sorry I don't know."

The Bounty Hunter sat back looking at Mae's back. "The dried blood on shirt says otherwise."

Mae huffed and grabbed the full basket and carried it to the wagon.

"Here," he said, "Let me carry that for you."

"I can do it myself," she spat but was overpowered by the stronger demigod. He shoved it onto the wagon as Mae sat against the wagon wheel, exhausted. The boy sat down beside her.

"You didn't have to do that," she said. "I would've managed."

The Bounty Hunter didn't say anything and took out his water canteen and pried off the top of the canteen and passed it to the slave. The slave hesitated at first but gave into the power of thirst. Mae took a long gulp and passed it off the boy who also drank from it.

"Can you answer me truthfully now?" he asked.

Mae sighed. It's been almost a full day now. If she told the Bounty Hunters their chances of catching Ben would be very slim. She's done the best she could.

"Even if you go now you'll never find him," she said and stood up to go back out to the fields. Picking up a basket as she went she walked quickly away from Bounty Hunter as she could.

"I'm not so sure about that," he said smugly. "No one escapes from us."

Mae swung around and faced the startled boy. "Aren't you sick of this?"

"Of what?"

"Of what you do? You used to be just like us, a slave. A slave who has to do anything just to survive, who has to steal food from fields just so they can stop the hunger pains, who does anything even though they know they'll be punished for it! Now that you're a Bounty Hunter you think you're soooo big and soooo important. Well here's some news for you, buddy, we hate your stinking guts!" After that rant Mae walked quickly back to the vines.

She bumped into another larger Bounty Hunter. "Is this her?" he asked her master.

"That's the one," he answered. "She's been giving me troubles since day one. She even freed one of my slaves!"

"We'll take it from here, sir," the Bounty Hunter said. "We'll question her back out our place and some of us will go out to see if we can catch your slave."

"She's all yours then." Her master walked away leaving her in the hands of this disgusting leech.

"Master!" she shrieked. "Please don't let them take me!" She ran to her master with the Bounty Hunter hot on her tail. She dropped to her knees in front of her master and begged like she's never begged before. "Please, master, I'm so, so sorry for everything thing I've ever done, just please don't let them take me." It looked like her master considered this for minute but shook his head. The Bounty Hunter picked a reluctant Mae off the ground and started to drag her away from the plantation.

Mae screamed every cuss word she knew in every language she knew. She tried to remember what she was taught at the camp for fighting hand-to-hand combat but all of those memories were blurry now.

"Will you stop squirming?" said a Bounty Hunter with black hair and dark eyes. "It's bad enough that we have to go out and search for that other slave." Mae elbowed the Bounty Hunter in the stomach nearly winding him _this _time.

While he coughed and sputtered, the big Bounty Hunter pulled out a piece of rope and tied Mae's hands together behind her back. _Bounty Hunters,_ she thought,_ so ignorant. _She kicked the Bounty Hunter's legs out from under him and sent him crashing to the ground.

The Bounty Hunter got to his feet. "Why you little bit-"

"Joel," said one, "not now."

"But she just-"

"No, now go on ahead with Sid and start looking for that escaped slave."

Joel, the big Bounty Hunter, walked in a different direction with another smaller Bounty Hunter Mae assumed to be Sid. The rest of the three Bounty Hunters walked forward holding onto Mae. Mae had her fun with the Bounty Hunters for today and decided to try something else later tonight. The Bounty Hunters didn't know what they got themselves into.

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><p>They reached a high range of mountains by nightfall. By then Mae's legs could no longer carry her. The Bounty Hunter holding onto her was practically holding up all her weight.<p>

They reached a natural cave and walked inside. On either side of them cells lined the walls. All of which were empty except for five at the very end where the Bounty Hunters lived when they weren't working. Other tunnels branched off to the left and right leading to different rooms. Mae was untied and locked in one of the cells. She rubbed her wrists and glared at the Bounty Hunters as they walked off the way they came.

Mae sat down on the cot in the cell. Mold grew on the walls of the cell. Water dripped down from the walls onto the ground making the whole cell damp. Mae huffed and fell onto her side and stared across at the other cell. She could the Bounty Hunters talking together. All of it was muddled to her. She pulled the scratchy blanket up over her body and tried to get some sleep.

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><p>Food is luxury in the Living Underworld that no slave gets to enjoy much of. Sure they get their rations twice a day but most of its fruit… and vegetables. And if you want to eat Pegasus meat then by all means go for it, but it's chewy and bland so most slaves don't eat meat and go vegan. The Bounty Hunters, on the other hand, go out into the mortal world once in a while and stock up on beef, pork and poultry. They can also get some provisions down in the market when delivering slaves to the auction. They get pitas and dried fruit just to have something different.<p>

The creaking hinges woke Mae up. She blinked a few times to see better in the dark. A lamp was lit casting light into the cell. She slowly sat up to see one of the Bounty Hunters sitting in her cell.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you were hungry," he said and slid over a bowl filled with different kinds of food. "We had a little extra so go ahead and eat."

Mae looked down in the bowl and saw a wrap. The wrap was filled with strips of vegetables and meat. With shaky hands Mae picked up the wrap and tore a huge chunk out of it. She finished the wrap in a minute licking off her fingers in satisfaction.

"Thanks," she mumbled and pushed the bowl back towards the Bounty Hunter.

He pulled the bowl away and passed her a canteen full of water. Mae accepted and took a long gulp.

"How long will I be here?" she asked and drank some more water.

"I dunno," he said. "Five days at the most. We just want to know some things."

"Like what?"

"Like your name, what you know about the missing slave and some other general stuff."

Mae sighed. She wasn't really in the mood to be doing this but might as well get it over now.

"Fine," she said. "My name is Mae Admiral, I'm thirteen and I've been a slave for six years. What's your name?"

"My name is Eric Azalea. And six years eh?" he said. "That's been a long time."

Mae rolled her eyes. "You think? And you know what's sad about it? I've been here so long I can't even remember my own birthday. I make my birthday the day of my capture. I keep track of the days in my head."

Eric looked down. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"No you're not," she countered. "All you have to do is serve as a Bounty Hunter for a few years and you're free to go. I'll be a slave until I die."

That shut him up. He closed his mouth and stared at his hands.

"That's what I thought." Mae lay on the cot and stared at the far wall. Eric continued to sit in the cell.

"If it'll make you feel any better I'm sorry for existing." He picked up the bowl and canteen and left the cell. He pulled out a set of keys and locked the cell door.

"Bounty Hunters," Mae said to herself, "they're all the same."

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><p>The third day of Mae's imprisonment was a little bit better than her first two days. The Bounty Hunter, named Eric, who watched over her, was a little nicer to her now. He kept apologizing for being a Bounty Hunter and for the actions he committed as a Bounty Hunter.<p>

"You can stop apologizing now," she said as Eric entered her cell yet again. "I've grown tired of them."

"Thank you," he said politely. "I've grown tired of them as well." He sat down against the wall like he always did. "My master tells me we'll be taking you down to the auction tomorrow. Joel and Sid also came back and said they couldn't find the slave that you helped free."

"Told you," she said and smiled.

"How did you know we wouldn't find him?" he asked.

"I actually grew up with Ben," she explained and smiled from the pleasant memories from many years ago. "We lived in the same town when we weren't at camp and the one game we like to play was hide-and-seek. He would always find the best hiding spots. I guess that talent stuck with him."

"Do you think he would go back to this town?"

"I don't know. I really don't."

Eric sighed and brought out a pouch full of dried fruit. He popped one into his mouth and passed the pouch over to Mae. She took it and nibbled on the sweet food.

"How come Bounty Hunters get such good food?" she asked and ate some more fruit before passing it back.

"They got to keep us healthy and strong to catch slaves," he said. "Some of you are quite fast."

"You get it from working in the fields all day."

"I bet."

"So how do you like being a Bounty Hunter?" she asked interested in Eric's life.

Eric pushed back the dark hair from his forehead. "It's okay. I don't get out as much as the other guys 'cause they're more experienced. I take care of the slaves and make sure they're fed properly."

"Can you stop calling us that? We don't like being referred to as slaves. We're people too."

"Sorry, its gutter talk from the market. It takes a hold on you."

A voice called out from the tunnel, "Hey, Eric! The boss wants to see you!"

"I've got to go," he said. "I'll try and visit you later." Eric stood up and left the cell locking the door behind him.

"Hey, Eric," Mae called out. Eric stopped and turned to face her. "Will you, um, stay in my cell again tonight? I like it when you're there to comfort me when I have, you know, nightmares."

"Sure, I'll come by later tonight." He turned and left.

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><p>Later that night, Eric came by with his blanket and pillow. He set himself down on the floor where Mae was already set up. He lay down beside her and threw his blanket over top his body.<p>

"Thanks for doing this," she whispered.

"No problem," he answered. "Now let's get some sleep, we have a busy day tomorrow."

The next day Mae found herself in the slave pits before the auction would begin. She looked through the bars of the cage at the passing monsters and slavers who came to look at what was for sale today. Mae found the group of Bounty Hunters mingling in with the crowd. She saw Eric, the only Bounty Hunter who she could trust. He waved at her and smiled encouragingly as the auctioneer came by to take her up onto the auction platform.

She wondered if she would ever see Eric again. Maybe one day their paths would cross again under different circumstances, of course. Until then she would stand there and watch as she was sold again.

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><p><strong>I say this chapter turned out better than I thought. It takes place before the first chapter so you have a better understanding of the relationship between Mae and Eric.<strong>

**Review please, the fiends are trapped inside today and they need something to do other than annoying me. Stupid fiends.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Considering it's Mother's Day and that I got another review (thanks braveryx11, your review is much appreciated here) I am giving you guys another chapter.**

**Disclaimer: If I ruled the world then maybe I would own PJO but I don't rule the world…. At the moment… so I surely don't own PJO…. Unfortunately.**

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><p>Chapter Seven<p>

Recap:

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><p><em>Footsteps crept up beside Mae. Mae turned and was face to face with one of the Bounty Hunters. His black hair fell across his forehead and his olive skin still looked flawless from the day they first met.<em>

"_Mae," the Bounty Hunter said, "is that really you?" He smiled at her and took in the sight of her._

_Mae was dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say to him, to Eric. He was nice to her at one point but he was a Bounty Hunter, a _privileged _slave. Slaves hated them because of it and what they did. _

_Mae backed away from Eric and shut her door._

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><p>Mae braced herself against the door to make sure Eric wouldn't try to come in. She didn't know what got into her. She used to trust Eric a few days ago. What's gotten into her? Was it because he was Bounty Hunter that she couldn't trust him? It was probably all in the mind and today's events. She would try to talk to him tomorrow when sleep wasn't the first thing on her mind.<p>

Crawling back under her blankets and Tyler's rhythmic breathing above her, Mae's eyes drooped slowly. She gave into it and slept.

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><p>The next day was the exact same, except for a few differences. They were fed breakfast in the morning and then led away to the training arena to set up for the training sessions. The Bounty Hunters were also there practicing and perfecting their swordsmanship skills. They practiced on their own completely ignoring the amazed Greeks. Mae ignored everybody and muttered indistinct curses under breath as she yanked down the orange t-shirts over the dummies. She stepped off to the side with Tyler and waited for the demonstration to be over.<p>

As the demonstration went on Mae realized she was itching to get her hands on a practice sword. _Stupid ADHD,_ she thought. It's annoying when all she does now is stand around and wait while she has to watch others fight each other.

Mae looked at the unused sword on the table beside her. She discreetly ran her fingers down the blade letting the pleasant memories of being taught by her oldest brother, Jason, how to fight with a sword. She gripped the leather bound handle and weighed the blade in her hand. It was a little off balanced but it wasn't specially crafted for her.

Tyler nudged her and cleared his throat. She snapped back into reality and set the blade back down onto the table. She brought her attention back to the session where Luke Castellan was stepping forward instructing the Greeks.

He fought against a demigod as were all the other demigods. Mae noticed he was an expert swordsman. He could've been trained by a Roman. Even Lupa would be proud of him. His footwork was great as was the sword he was using which was strangely formed out of two types of materials, celestial bronze and regular metal. He lunged and parried and swung the blade over his head as if he was born a natural.

When he called for a break he was drenched in sweat. The demigods swarmed the refreshment table and quenched their thirst with ice cold water. Luke spilled the ice cold water onto his head and shook out the water of his hair. The demigods then went at it again. This time Luke called forth one demigod to demonstrate a new move, disarming your opponent.

Mae rolled her eyes. Such a move was child's play to the Romans. They learned that move when they were ten. Mae remembers watching her brother, John, practicing the same move when he was that age.

Luke disarmed the demigod in a matter of minutes. He was displeased with this and turned to the crowd.

"Now," he said, "can anyone tell me what's wrong with Jake's technique?"

A couple hands rose into the air. Luke pointed to one.

"It's his footwork," she said. "He isn't moving his feet correctly when you lunge at him."

_It isn't his footwork,_ she thought, _it's the sword._

"Correct," said Luke. "Jake, today's session I want you to go train with one of the Bounty Hunters to better your footwork."

"It's not his footwork," she said not meaning for people to hear.

Luke turned to her. "What was that, slave girl?"

"It's not his damn footwork!" Mae yelled. "It's the freaking sword that's causing him trouble! It's unbalanced and I can prove it."

Luke chuckled and took the sword out of Jake's hands. "Well then, would you like to show us?"

Mae stepped forward with a little bit of pride back in her steps. She took the sword into her hands and swung it around getting a feel for the blade. The handle seemed a little too big for the blade. She balanced the sword on her finger, or tried to, and watched the blade drop to the ground. She tried it again but still it fell. Feeling like she proved her point she picked up the sword and gave it back to Luke.

"The sword is crap," she said. "The handle is too big for the blade which is causing Jake to lose his grip on it."

"You sound as if you've held a sword before," Luke said.

"I wasn't born a slave, _sir,_" she said. "I used to train with swords, way back when."

Luke thought about this for a minute. He told the other demigods to go back to their training. They obeyed and fought against each other and practiced on the dummies. He walked over to Mae and smiled crookedly.

"If you know so much about swords I would like to see you handle one," he said. "Pick that one up off the table and let's see what you got."

Mae obeyed her master and picked up a sword. She kicked off her flip flops knowing it would be better to fight barefoot than with improper footwear. She held the sword in front of her remembering everything she was taught back at camp and at home.

Luke lunged and she parried. They fought against each other for a few moments learning about the others techniques and stances. He swung the blade over her head and she blocked. Mae was mostly on defense trying to remember what it felt like to fight again. Her senses opened up letting her see into his movements. She found her motivation and parried each strike he brought down on her. Her memory was starting to come back to her now remembering how to incorporate her legs and arms into the fight. If she had arm guards she could block with those and try and punch at her attacker but this was a practice not a fight.

Mae finally found her opportunity were she kicked out Luke's legs and sent him to the ground. She was vaguely aware of all the others fighting around them stopping so they could watch. While still on the ground Luke brought up his sword to block her from brining it down on top of him. He blocked and struggled to his feet. Mae was thrilled with this fight. She let the blood lust in her take over as she fought harder and harder against Luke making him change his position into defence. She knew her eyes were probably glowing a bit redder but she didn't care as she pressed him harder and harder not caring if she hurt him. Every fibre in her being was screaming _death, death, death! _ With her final move she wacked her master across the face with the butt of her sword. He stumbled to the ground dropping his sword and holding his head in his hands. He brought his hand down from his right temple revealing blood.

Mae stopped. The glow in her eyes died and the timid inner slave took over and brought her back to reality. She just hit her own master. She was a bad, bad slave. _Idiot, _she thought. _Who hits their master with a sword? _Apparently Mae does.

She dropped to her knees in a panic and forgot about the sword. Tyler rushed towards the refreshment table and brought over some ice wrapped in a towel. Mae took it and gave it to Luke who immediately pressed it against his head.

"Master, I'm so, so, SO sorry," she said. "It was an accident I swear." She looked up at the crowd around her. They all looked at her in shock.

Luke laughed. "Don't be, I underestimated you." He stood up a little wobbly and walked to a table and lay on top of it.

"Is there anything I can get for you, master?" she asked hoping she wouldn't be punished. "A drink, something to eat, a bandage even?"

"I thought I told you not to call me master," he said. "And I don't need anything, but thanks for asking. You and that other slave may go to the kitchen now and clean up. After that I want you to come straight back here."

"Whatever for, sir?"

"I want to see what skills both of you have with a sword."

"But why?"

"Do I need my reasons?" he asked sternly.

"No, sir, I'm sorry, sir."

Luke sighed and looked at the young slave. "What's your name, slave?"

Mae was stunned. None of her masters have ever asked her for her name before. "It's Mae, sir, Mae Admiral."

"Well then, Mae, I want you to come back here at, say, eight tonight and I want to see what other sword skills you have."

"Yes, sir, I will." She bowed politely and walked off with Tyler who was staring at her like she just dropped down from the sky. She looked up at him. "I know, I'm stunned too."

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><p><strong>You know what's entertaining? Salad Spinners. We got one for my mom and I tell you I would be entertained by that thing for hours. Simple mind, simple pleasures.<strong>

**Don't worry I'll get back to the whole Mae and Eric thing next chapter. I just really needed to right some action to satisfy the fiends' needs. Ugh, they are soooo needy sometimes. And they need you to review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I realized that the last update I gave you guys was on Sunday! Man that was a while ago. Why didn't you guys remind me? No, no I can't blame you guys. You people are awesome. On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Rick Riordan.**

**Warning: The crappiness returns**

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><p>Chapter Eight<p>

Right at eight o'clock Mae and Tyler rushed down to the arena where Luke and the leader of the Bounty Hunters, Joel, stood stretching before the sword fighting. Mae kicked off her flip flops just like before and ran over to Luke. Tyler slowly followed the enthusiastic slave.

"Hello, sir," Mae said happily and smiled a little.

"Hello, Mae," Luke answered. "I wanted you here today because I think your skills as a demigod are going to waste. Someone with your talents should be fighting for a just cause and not slaving away in my kitchen."

"What kind of just cause are you talking about, sir?"

Luke smiled and looked at his sword with a glint in his eye. "I'll just say some of the most powerful people in the world are going to get a taste of their own medicine."

Something nagged Mae in the back of her mind. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it. "But if me and Tyler are training from now on, who will prepare the dummies for the training sessions and clean the kitchens afterwards?"

"I'm getting a new bunch of slaves tomorrow so they will be taking care of those duties. You will be training with the other demigods starting tomorrow. Now if there are no more questions you would like to ask I want you to pick up a sword and face me."

Mae obeyed and ran over to pick up a sword off one of the tables. Tyler picked up one as well and practiced with Joel. Mae stretched at first real quickly and rolled her shoulders back preparing for the oncoming fight. She brought her sword up to match Luke's. He smiled and swung his blade forward. Mae met his blade and let her Roman battle instincts take over.

They danced back and forth across the arena floor. Mae finally got to see Luke's actual skills. What happened a few hours prior was nothing compared to how the two soldiers were fighting. Mae fought hard but Luke was the better skilled out of the two. He's been training for years while she was salving away. Luckily being a Roman has its advantages as from the day they are very young they start training with practice wooden swords before upgrading to celestial swords. Some things never leave you.

Luke proved to be the better swordsman. He twisted Mae's sword from her grip and flung it away. He pointed her sword at her throat. She raised her hands in defeat breathing heavily.

"You are quite the swordsman, sir," she said and went over to pick up her sword.

"So are you," he said and went over to the refreshment table. Tyler and Joel were still hard at it each trying to get the upper hand.

Mae picked up a water bottle from the cooler and took a long gulp from it.

"Who taught you to become such a great swordsman?" Luke asked.

"My oldest brother was one of the sword trainers at camp," she answered. "When I wasn't at camp I was fighting with my sister. Even after all these years I'm amazed of how much I still remember."

Luke drank from his water bottle until most of it was gone. "Let's go again shall we."

Mae set down her water bottle and followed Luke out onto the floor. She picked up her sword once more and battled against Luke until both were exhausted by the fight.

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><p>Luke dismissed Mae after an hour or so of fighting. He sighed and walked into the plush room where Kronos' coffin laid. He knelt down on the Persian rug in front of the coffin. The air grew cold around him as Kronos woke from his slumber.<p>

_The slaves are trusting you, I hope, _Kronos said.

"Yes, master," Luke said. "The girl shows some real potential as a soldier. The boy on the other hand is strong as well. He could be good in the front line. Your decision to invest in the Romans was the right one. With fighters like these the gods stand no chance against your army."

_That'll teach the gods from tossing me into Tartarus. They won't stand a chance once my army marches upon them._

"Master, I've been wondering. What is that you find so interesting in the slave girl?"

_The girl is only the start of it. She is the artwork of the Fates. While my army takes Olympus, the girl will ensure the safety of my throne on Mount Tam along with Krios. Just make sure she accepts the pledge to help me rise._

"Of course, master," Luke said. "With the way I am treating her I'm sure she'll accept the pledge."

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><p>Mae flopped down on her bed after a nice long shower. Today she felt freer than ever before. Excused from slave duties from now on was going to be easy to get used to. Sword fighting every day was like a dream come true. Romans weren't meant to wash dishes and pick vegetables. They were meant to fight and conquer like their parents, the gods.<p>

Someone rapped softly on the door. Mae got up thinking Tyler was finally done fighting against Joel. She opened the door to see Eric in the doorway. She tried to close the door on the Bounty Hunter but he stuck his foot in the door preventing it from being closed all the way.

"Mae," he said softly. "I'm sorry for whatever I did, just please can we talk for a few minutes?"

_You knew this was going to happen sooner or later,_ she thought to herself. Mae sighed and opened the door to let him in. He stepped in and looked around the room noting how small it was compared to his room across the hall.

"Nice room," Eric said trying to break the awkward tension between them.

Mae rolled her eyes and closed the door so they could talk in private. "Yeah, it's, um, a step up from the slave barracks." She crossed the room and sat down on her bed. Eric sat down beside her. "Your room looked nice."

"Yeah, it's much better than the cells we stayed in. So…. How's life on the ship for you?"

"I don't know. I like it much better than the plantations. Luke is a nice master as well. He just excused me and Tyler from slave duties from now on." She smiled a little.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive. Mae, why have you been avoiding me? Is it something that I did?"

Mae shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it's all in the mind. You're a Bounty Hunter, I'm a lowly slave, and by the non-official rules of the Living Underworld we should hate each other. Plus I feel as if I get close to you, I'll lose you like I did my family."

"You have trust issues then?"

"When you're a slave who can you trust?"

Eric went silent. After that what could you say? "You know you can trust me right?"

"Eric, I-"

"And don't say you can't trust me 'cause I'm a Bounty Hunter. That's not the real me."

"Eric, these things take time. I know you were nice to me when no one else was but it takes a long time for me to trust someone and if I trust you I have to know that you won't break that trust."

"It's not really the answer I was looking for but I'm cool with it."

Mae looked over into his chocolate brown eyes. "Can you swear on it?"

"Okay, I swear on the River Styx that I will never break our trust." Something rumbled in the distance confirming the oath.

"Thanks, Eric, I really needed that."

"As long as we're on each other's good side I'm sure in the future we can set an example for slaves and Bounty Hunters."

"Now don't you start. If I have a say in this I'm going to end slavery, completely."

Eric chuckled. "If there was a way to kill the raiders I'm sure anything's possible."

The door opened. Tyler stood in the doorway drenched in sweat with a cut across his cheek and arm. Mae saw Joel limping into his room. Eric stood up abruptly.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow in the arena then," he said and walked towards the door. "Thank you for letting me in, Mae."

Mae waved to him as Tyler closed the door. He raised an eyebrow. "What? We were just talking." He gave her a questionable look. "And I know what you're thinking. He's a Bounty Hunter, I'm a slave, we're not supposed to mix, but I'm tired of those rules. For once in my life I want to live my life the way I want to. No more taking orders or obeying those higher in the rankings than me. For once I'm going to break the rules and show these people what being a Roman is all about!"

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><p>The Fates looked down at their creation. Boy was she right that she was going to break the rules. So many have tread down the path that Mae was going down and none of them ever made it through. Just a little more spinning and weaving then their creation would truly let her potential shine.<p>

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><p><strong>Oh, so the plot thickens. Why are the Fates toying with this girl's life? Hasn't she been through enough all ready? DIE EVIL MONSTERS! DIE! DIE! DIE!... And this is what happens when Sue is tired and the fiends start to influence the writing. Way to go, fiends, way to go. *Clap….. clap…. Clap*<strong>

**Review please =D**


	9. Chapter 9

**K, so it's LATE May and it's barely 10 degrees outside. And it's cold and rainy apparently for the whole week even! I hate weather so much sometimes**

**Disclaimer: We all know it. We all have to say it. We all wish it wasn't true, but sadly it is. I don't and never will own PJO. Rick Riordan does and always will own PJO.**

**Warning: Crappy**

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><p>Chapter Nine… Two weeks since the last chapter<p>

When the next batch of slaves arrived on the Princess Andromeda, Mae and Tyler were moved to another larger room to make room for the new slaves. The room they were in now had two single beds in one room and a lounge area for a second room along with a larger bathroom. It wasn't as luxurious as the rooms the Bounty Hunters had but it was definitely a step up.

The buzzer went off beside Mae's head on the nightstand. She slipped her head under the pillow and waited for Tyler to turn it off. A minute later and the buzzer was still on.

"Get the alarm," she said.

"Mmmmm," Tyler mumbled.

Out of options and getting sick of the buzzer, Mae pulled out her hand and smashed the top of the clock. Mae sat up on her bed and saw Tyler still trying to sleep. An evil grin spread over her face. She gripped her pillow with both hands and smacked Tyler on the face. He only mumbled again and rolled onto his stomach. Mae threw down her pillow and backed up into the corner of the room. She jumped up and down a few times to warm up. Mae ran and jumped onto Tyler. He countered and tackled her onto the floor. Tyler started poking Mae in the sides making her squeal and collapse into a giggling fit.

"Stop it!" Mae yelled. "Stop it you evil man!" Tyler stopped and rolled onto the floor beside Mae. He laughed at her, which was a nice sound to listen to, his laugh. It was probably the third time he's laughed since she's known him. He also started to talk again. He would never say more than one word in a sentence but it was a start.

"Sometimes I don't know why I'm nice to you," Mae said and looked at Tyler who seemed to be at peace gazing at the ceiling. "In fact, I hate you right now."

"Nooo," he said in a mocking tone.

"Yesss," she mimicked. "I don't want to get up, do you?"

"No," he said plainly.

"But we have to otherwise Luke will get mad." She sighed and stood up pulling Tyler up with her. "Come on let's go get something to eat."

They walked out of their room and towards the dining room. Demigods and monsters were already eating the food that was laid out. Mae's gotten used to living alongside monsters. She didn't consider them her enemies anymore, but didn't consider them allies either. She just had to live with them but she was used to it by now.

Mae filled up her plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and what fruit was left on the table. She picked up her fork and stabbed her eggs. Someone sat down beside her. It was Joel. He filled up his plate and mumbled something under his breath.

"Jerk," he said.

"Ass," she said.

"Psychopath."

"Puss eating scumbag."

"Oh, nice one," he said and shovelled the eggs into his mouth.

Mae considered herself to be on the good terms with the Bounty Hunters now. The even that took place for this to be was the day the new slaves arrived and Mae and Tyler were upgraded to soldiers. They haven't been moved yet into their new room and the slaves were having a day off to rest after the long trek to the ship. Mae walked through the halls of the ship getting a feel for this new home of hers. Up ahead she saw Tyler up against the wall, clearly uncomfortable, surrounded by three demigods. They all had their amour on with swords in their scabbards. It looked like they had just finished their training session. Mae hid in an open doorway to listen in on what was happening.

"And after you clean my room," said one of the demigods, "you are going to take some polish and clean off my armour to make it shine like Apollo's chariot. And you're not going to stop until every spec of my armour shines. You follow me, slave?" Tyler said nothing and stared at the ground. "I said do you follow me?" The demigod pulled out a knife and pointed it at Tyler. Tyler's eyes widened.

Mae knew he didn't like blades. Swords were okay but knives still terrified the poor guy. The demigod seemed to notice that. The demigods surrounding Tyler were just plain mean. They were using him to do their chores just because he was still classified as a slave. Mae was sick of being treated like that.

She walked out of the doorway and walked right up to the demigods putting herself between them and Tyler. "Leave him alone," she said.

"Leave him alone or what?" said the demigod who laughed alone with his buddies. "What are you going to do? You're just an insignificant slave just like him." He pointed the knife at Tyler who cowered and trembled.

Mae was tired of being treated like that. She pulled back her fist and hit the square on the nose. The demigod was shocked that she hit him. He wiped his nose clearing away the small trickle of blood.

"Looks like this slave is out of line," he said to his friends. "Let's show her how we deal with slaves like here." He brought forth the knife but Mae wasn't scared. She's been through much worse.

"Hey!" someone yelled out. They all turned to see who it was. Joel was standing a few feet away from them hands near his swords in case if a fight broke out. "Leave the slaves alone or prepare for your funeral."

"A little presumptuous now aren't we," said one of the demigods. "If you haven't noticed there are three of us and one of you."

"Yeah, and that one of me has been training since the day I could walk." Joel pulled out the two swords that hung on either side of his belt. He took a step forward and raised an eyebrow as if saying 'do you really wanna fight me?'

The demigods got the message and slowly walked away from Mae and Tyler. Mae looked at Joel and nodded a quick thanks. Joel nodded back and sheathed his swords and lumbered away.

Ever since that day Mae has made it her personal goal to become friends with the Bounty Hunters. As long as she stayed near them the Greeks wouldn't bother her or Tyler. Together the Romans trained, sharpening their reflexes and skills with the weapons they were born to handle. Together Mae felt like they were her extended family. Always together, always protecting each other.

Sid sat across from them and picked up the knife from the table eyeing it carefully before cutting up his breakfast sausage. "Damn knives, can't cut anything." He threw down the knife and opened up his own pocket knife. "What's on the schedule today, Joel?"

"I think archery," he said.

"No, not archery," Jim wailed and slumped down into a chair. "I hate archery so freaking much."

"Which is why we're practicing it today."

"But archery is so boring," Mae said. "I'd rather be up front where the blood and gore is. Archery is for wimps."

"Don't let a child of Apollo hear you saying that," said Zach who sat down and snagged the last apple from the fruit bowl. "They can slay you with their haikus and arrows."

"I'm not scared of them, and neither should you. We're children of death. Once they die we own them for life."

"That is so true!" The children of death high fived across the table.

The demigods finished their meal and headed to the arena where the slaves had already set up the targets for archery. They walked off to the side to let the demigods' fire their arrows. Mae pitied the slaves. She was once in their position. She still bore the brand on her forearm marking her as one of them. Even if Luke didn't formally give her freedom to her, she considered herself to be free.

Mae took out the small pocket knife she had in her pocket. No one cared if she carried one anymore. She peeled off the bandage covering her brand and grazed the knife along the brand. Another scar to add to the collection to disfigure the skull shaped brand. She winced and covered it up with the bandage hiding it from view.

Mae picked up the bow and quiver and walked over to the starting line. She fitted an arrow onto the string and pulled it back as far as she could. Her hand started to shake as she released the arrow. The arrow was shot out and completely missed the targets and burrowed itself into the wall at least twelve feet from the floor.

One of the slaves looked at the arrow mournfully wondering how he was going to get that down. One of the demigods at the firing line hollered out, "Have fun getting that down!"

Mae grimaced. Even though it wasn't her job to clean up after the training was done she still felt bad for launching that terrible shot. She quickly ran over to the slave. "I'm sorry for doing that. I have a really terrible shot."

"It's no problem really," he said. "I'll get it down… somehow."

"It's my fault. Once I'm done training I've got nothing to do, I'll help you get it down." She walked back to the firing line and added for good measure, "and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

Mae stood beside the others and fired a few more arrows before losing interest completely. Zach snapped his bow in half and joined Mae by the table.

"Want mine?" she asked and held up the bow.

Zach held the bow and snapped the bow over his knee. "Oops, now I guess neither of us can practice any more, how sad," he said without sounding like it. He jumped up on the table and rested.

"Where was Eric this morning?" Mae asked. "Is Luke talking with him again?" Luke and Eric talked often. Eric was the one who usually advised Luke on the type of slaves he should buy from the auction.

"No, he's sick. Came down with the flu."

"Don't you guys have ambrosia or something?"

"You know how expensive that stuff is? We may be Bounty Hunters but we don't live that luxurious." Ambrosia and nectar were only given to slaves if it was a life and death situation. The Bounty Hunters bought it sometimes if it was sold at a cheap price in the market and they could afford it.

Mae looked over at the other demigods still firing arrows at the targets. "Want to practice sword fighting?"

"Sure." Zach jumped off the table and took his Stygian iron sword out of its sheath. Mae looked at the sword with envy wishing she had a sword to call her own. She picked up the practice blade from the rack and joined him away from the archers.

Mae raised her sword and Zach raised his. They started out with simple practice swings to warm up. Over the past two weeks Mae has gotten better with her sword skills. She built on top of the ones she was taught when she was younger becoming better than the other Greek demigods and as good as the Roman demigods.

"So," Mae said trying to talk in between short pauses. "How'd you come by a… Stygian iron sword?"

"Well," Zach said, "During my first year of… Bounty Hunting… caught my first slave with… this sword… She wasn't a death child or anything… she just grabbed a sword from the market one day and… ran."

"So you took it from her?"

The swords clanged together above them where they paused, swords still together. "It was a spoil of war."

"Catching slaves is considered war now?"

"When they have dangerous swords, yes."

"You stupid Bounty Hunter!" Mae disengaged and attacked Zach ruthlessly. He was still a Bounty Hunter after all. "You're the one… who made my life…" She smacked his sword away hard enough for him to drop it. "MISERABLE!" Mae pointed her sword at his throat. "Don't ever talk about slaves like that!" she spat.

"Like what?"

"Like we're the enemy when in reality Bounty Hunters and slaves are the same, we still serve monsters and always will."

"Oh, I see. Can you put your sword away now? I don't want to meet my dad, Pluto, just yet." Mae put down her sword and let Zach pick up his sword.

Mae went back to the archery line and watched the others firing off a few arrows. Joel, it seemed, was a having no trouble. Pulling back the string and launching the arrow into the target more or less off center.

"Looks like you're not having any troubles," Mae said.

Joel stopped and turned. "Looks like you're not even trying."

"I told you before I hate archery and always will hate archery. Besides I'm bored here. Can I go now?"

"Does it look like I care?" Joel turned back and released the arrow.

Mae took it as a yes and ran off to the exit of the arena. She would return to help the slaves later.

Mae ran through the halls of the ship past the monsters and demigods all the way to Eric's room. She knocked on the door. "Come in," said a weak voice. Mae opened the door and stepped inside the room.

She found Eric on one of the couches in the living room staring glazy eyed at the TV that was on. He was wrapped up in several blankets and his usual olive skin was now pale. A bowl of plain broth was set on a table untouched along with an empty glass.

"Hi," he said. "Welcome to my prison."

"Awww, Eric." Mae sat down beside the couch and ran her fingers through his hair. "How are you feeling?"

"Crappy. Very, very, crappy. I'm tired, and cold, and hot, and thirsty." He looked up at Mae and gave her those large puppy dog eyes she couldn't say no to.

Mae sighed audibly and picked up the empty glass. She walked into the kitchen and filled up the glass with water. She set the glass down in front of him.

"Thank you, none of the other guys would help me. They kept telling me to get it myself and start to pull my weight. And then for some odd reason Sid started telling me Chuck Norris jokes."

"Who's Chuck Norris?"

Eric rolled his eyes and drank from the glass. "I'll tell you some other day." His face screwed up in pain. He sat up quickly. "Scuse me." Eric jumped off the couch and ran to the bathroom. He retched into the toilet and threw up what little was in his stomach. Mae wandered into the bathroom and sat down beside him.

"Can you do something for me?" he asked.

"What?"

"Love me, care for me, never ever leave me."

"Oh, Eric, come on let's get you back to bed." She helped him up off the floor of the bathroom flushing the toilet as they left. She half supported him as they walked through the apartment and back to the bedroom. Mae pulled back the covers and laid him in the bed. "Now, get some sleep and I'll come visit you later."

"No," he wailed. "Stay, don't leave me with them."

"Fine, I'll stay until you fall asleep then I'm leaving."

"I'm fine with that." He settled down onto the pillow and closed his eyes. "Will you stroke my hair?"

"You're so needy sometimes."

"I'm sick, give me a break." Mae ran her fingers through his hair hushing him up. She felt comfortable being around him. She trusted him completely which is what she needed right now.

Eric's breathing went deep. His chest rose and fell steadily showing he was fast asleep. Mae rose quietly from the bed and walked out of the room. She picked up the glass from the table and set down in Eric's room. She quietly closed the door and left the room.

Mae ran back down to the arena where it was empty. The slaves were pulling out the arrows lodged into the targets and into the walls. The arrow she shot was still stuck in the wall. She jogged over to them.

"Sorry I'm late," she said. "I was busy."

One of the slaves came over to her and brought her away so they could speak in private. "What are you doing here?" he whispered. "You shouldn't be helping us."

"And why not? I'm still a slave just like you. It's my fault that you have to get that arrow down."

"You're not a slave just like me. You're a _privileged _slave just like those Bounty Hunters. Now if you'll excuse me, miss, I have an arrow to get down." The slave walked past her to the other slaves still working.

_Privileged, _she thought, _I'm a privileged slave now. _Mae walked out of the arena and back to her room. She slammed the door and sat down on her bed and put her head in her hands. She hated this, all the mistrust and the hatred between slaves and other slaves. She couldn't deal with this anymore. It caused her too much pain knowing she couldn't do anything to help anyone.

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><p>Mae lay on her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest. She stared at the far wall feeling the warm tears slip down her cheeks. The door opened in the living room. It was probably Tyler coming back from lunch. Mae looked at the clock on the nightstand it read six o'clock. It was much later than she thought it was. She's been in here most of the day.<p>

Tyler stepped in the bedroom and saw Mae lying down on her bed. "Mae?" he asked quietly.

Mae got off the bed and ran into his chest. She sobbed into his chest crying out all the emotion she's bottled up over the past six years. Tyler didn't really know what to do in this case. He's never dealt with a crying slave girl before. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her shaking form. He tried to shush her desperate sobs and rubbed her back in a somewhat comforting way.

"Why do the gods let this happen?" Mae asked. "What did we do to deserve this?" She felt Tyler shrug. She pulled away and looked into his forest green eyes. "Ty, I don't want to live like this anymore."

Tyler looked concerned. He shook his head and tried to speak more than one word. "Don't… n-n-not… not….goo-good."

Mae laughed wearily. "I don't mean it like that, but thanks for the thought. I mean I don't want to live like we're living right now. I don't want to live like a privileged slave. We're not quite free but at the same time we're freer than the other slaves. It shouldn't be like this."

"G-g-gods' f-fault," he stammered.

"Yeah, it is the gods' fault. And I hate them for it."

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><p><strong>Few, that was a long chapter. Finally it's done. <strong>

**Review please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Just to let you know I changed some things in chapter nine so you get a story of how Mae became friends with the Bounty Hunters. I'll be sure to explain what's happened if I ever skip time like that again. This chapter is dedicated to Shara Humes and theatrelover95. You guys are great and I won't be updating till probably next Thursday so enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter Ten<p>

Mae didn't feel like sleeping that night. Instead she wandered the ship to clear her head. She stared out over the deck of the ship looking down into the ocean. She saw some naiads down in the water swimming alongside the ship.

"You guys have it easy," she said quietly even though she knew they wouldn't hear her. "You don't have to worry about raiders capturing you in the dark and taking you to some unknown place where you're sold to a monster."

"Do you think of me as a monster?" someone asked behind her. Startled, Mae turned and saw Luke.

"Sorry, sir," she said. "I was just talking to myself."

"Something on your mind, Mae?"

She shrugged and turned back around to see the rising sun. "Why do you treat Tyler and me differently from the other slaves on the ship?"

"They have to earn their reputation to be treated differently. Once they prove themselves worthy then I'll do the same thing that I did to you. I'll let them train and then buy a new group of slaves."

"But Tyler and I were only here for two days when you let us train with your men. It's been two weeks for the other slaves."

"Everyone is different," he said. "You proved your loyalty quickly. These slaves still haven't shown theirs." Luke stood up straight and backed away from the edge. "Walk with me, Mae. I would like to have a talk with you." Mae pushed herself away form the edge and walked beside her master.

Luke took her to the room where the demigods usually ate their meals. In front of the curved window in the room was a large golden sarcophagus at least ten feet long. Scenes of death were carved into the edges around the coffin. An inscription was also carved onto the lid of the coffin. It said KRONOS: LORD OF TIME. That was strange. Everyone knew Kronos was in Tartarus, or what was left of him. Mae didn't understand. She looked up at Luke for an answer.

"It's alright if you're a little confused," he explained. "Most people are when they first see this. I am, in fact, raising Kronos from Tartarus, bit by bit. Every time someone pledges their loyalty to him another piece comes back."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked quietly.

"Why not do this? Mae, don't you hate the gods? They left you in that hellish place for six years. They didn't give you a thought while you were in there. When I raise Kronos, I will make sure the gods pay for what they did. I will make sure that they are punished. With Kronos back in power none of you will ever be taken as slaves again."

Mae stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious about this? About raising Kronos and fighting against the gods? "Why are you telling me this?"

"If you pledge your allegiance to Kronos I will make sure that you and your friends are taken care of and that your freedom will be returned to you."

Pledging allegiance to Kronos. Was it worth it? To see the gods destroyed and Kronos back in power all for her freedom? Mae felt the bandage under her sleeve and pressed on it. Pain would make her think clearly. "Can I have some time to think about it?" she asked.

Luke smiled and nodded. "Take all the time you need."

Mae slowly walked out of the room and back into the warming sun. She didn't have any ties to the gods and she certainly didn't have ties to Kronos but what would she do in order to gain her freedom?

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><p>The day was just the same as always, breakfast, sword training and then absolutely nothing. But something rather strange happened today. The Princess Andromeda pulled into a port somewhere in Miami, Florida. Everyone was strapping on armor as if preparing for battle. But who were they going to battle with? Mae didn't ask questions and just strapped on her armor along with everyone else. Mae picked up a sword and slid it into her sheath. She walked alongside Tyler towards the on deck pool with dozens of warriors.<p>

There was something going on near the pool. Luke was arguing with two demigods, a faun, and a Cyclops. It was the same two demigods and Cyclops from a couple weeks ago she saw walking past the arena.

"And so, the Fleece," Luke said. "Where is it?"

Luke took out his sword and started to prod the group looking for something. He started poking the faun's pants.

"Hey!" the faun yelled. "That's real goat fur under there!"

"Sorry, old friend," Luke said and smiled. "Just give me the Fleece and I'll you to return to your, ah, little nature quest."

The faun bleated. "Some old friend!"

"Maybe you didn't hear me. Where-is-the-Fleece?"

"Not here," said the demigod with black hair. "We sent it on ahead of us. You messed up."

Luke stared down at the demigod. "You're lying. You couldn't have… Clarisse?" The demigod nodded. "You trusted…. you gave…"

"Yeah."

"Agrius!" Luke yelled out.

The bear seemed to flinch. "Y-yes?" he stammered.

"Get below and prepare my steed. Bring it to the deck. I need to fly to Miami Airport, fast!"

"But, boss-"

"Do it!" Luke yelled. "Or I'll feed you to the drakon!"

The bear swallowed hard and ushered Mae down the stairs with him to help. They walked down the stairs quickly to the holding pens were the drakon was being held along with other nasty monsters and one pure black Pegasus. Its wings were pinned to its body by means of leather straps. It was cross tied in its stall along with hobbles keeping it from moving its legs. It was such a waste to see such a beautiful creature tied up like this.

"Get the hobbles," Agrius growled. "Watch out for those hooves. Stupid animal has good aim."

Mae nodded and opened the stall door. The Pegasus whinnied and yanked its head up trying to pull away from Mae. The cross ties strained against the weight but held the animal in place.

"That's enough now," Mae said sternly trying to calm the Pegasus down. "I said that's enough!" The horse stopped moving but the whites of its eyes still showed. Mae stepped forward carefully holding her hands in front of her. She ran her hands over the horse's nose. It shivered under her touch. She soothed the horse and ran her hands down its neck getting it used to her touch. She ran her hands down its legs and unbuckled the hobbles. She did the same on its back legs and then worked on its wings. The animal stretched its wings. She dropped the straps and worked on the cross-ties untying them from the sides of the stall door. Agrius grabbed one strap and Mae grabbed the other. Together they pulled the Pegasus out and crashed onto the deck.

The Pegasus was strong willed. It kicked and pulled at the ties trying to break free. With all her weight Mae planted her feet and hung on for dear life. The Pegasus pulled Mae off her feet. Agrius had to duck to avoid the hooves. Tyler came to Mae's aid and grabbed onto the tie keeping the Pegasus grounded. The animal reared up on its hind legs flapping its wings in a fury. Mae ducked as a hoof flew over her head whacking Tyler on his head. He collapsed on the ground and didn't move.

Mae looked over her shoulder at Tyler. A bead of blood dripped down the side of his face and onto the deck. She let the tie slip from her hands, forgotten, and she dropped to the ground beside her fallen friend. Mae fingered the blood on his head hoping it wasn't anything too serious. She shook him, he didn't respond.

"Somebody help!" she screamed out. Joel heard her and walked over. "He needs help."

"Shit, he could have a concussion," he said. "We got to get him out of here."

Joel started to pick up Tyler when all hell broke loose. Centaurs jumped onto the deck armed with paintball guns, bows with novelty arrows, and dressed in the most ridiculous things ever. They were the Party Ponies. The warriors were caught off guard and were soon being hammered down by paint-balls and arrows. Mae drew her sword as did Joel.

"What do we do?" she asked. "We can't just leave Tyler there!"

"I don't know just try to survive!" he answered.

Mae didn't back away from Tyler. She stood by his unconscious frame protecting him from being trampled by the rowdy centaurs.

A centaur came towards here with a pair of slinky glasses. She sliced at him trying to make back off. He backed away and went towards the demigod with black hair. She watched as the Party Ponies rescued the strangers aboard the Princess Andromeda. There was a pain in Mae's side but she didn't notice and watched as the last of the Party Ponies disappeared. Mae looked around at the carnage around her. Several demigods were injured and the bear twins were only a pile of dust and two pairs of blue jeans. The black Pegasus disappeared into the sky never to be seen again. Mae dropped beside Tyler and cradled his head in her lap.

Zach ran over to Mae. He frowned. "Mae, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Tyler needs nectar or something. He's injured."

Zach crouched down beside her. "Mae, I think you need some help."

"Zach I'm fine really."

His eyes drifted down to her side. Mae looked down to see what he was looking at. An arrow was sticking straight out between the chinks in her amour. She doesn't remember feeling that. She wasn't even in pain. Blood dripped down slowly onto the deck.

"It doesn't even hurt though," she whispered.

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><p><strong>Pretty good eh? Or crappy it doesn't matter to me as long as you give me reviews. They are like sugar to me….. yummy, yummy sugar (starts to drool)<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**As I promised a chapter on Thursday. Sadly it's shorter and really crappy so please don't hate me for this. My mind is completely somewhere else.**

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><p>Chapter Eleven<p>

Mae was lying down on one of the tables in the infirmary. They had already removed the arrow from her side and cleaned up the blood. Even without the nectar and ambrosia the wound had started to heal on its own. That was certainly strange but only Mae seemed to notice it.

One of the demigod healers came back with a roll of bandages. Mae pulled up her shirt a little more for the demigod to wrap the bandages around her stomach. The healer pulled it tight and attached a clasp to the end of the bandage keeping it in place. The healer left to tend to the other injured demigods.

Mae pushed herself into a sitting position and stepped lightly onto the floor. She held her side and walked through the room looking for Tyler. He was lying on one of the end beds still sleeping. A bandage was wrapped around his head with a little bit of dried blood that seeped through. He had a minor concussion but it could've been worse.

Mae sighed and left the infirmary. She walked slowly down the halls to her own room. Sleep is what she wanted right now. Mae felt drained in an odd way. She didn't know what was happening to her so she walked to her room and collapsed into sleep, but sleep can be full of surprises.

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><p>If you're a demigod then you know that all dreams hold something important. A clue, a message, some kind of parent-child relationship, or they're just meant to torment the demigods for all eternity making them remember past failures and make them keep remembering. It's the one reason why Mae hates being a demigod sometimes.<p>

The dream started out like this. Mae was in her house sitting on her bed with her father sitting on the edge. She was her young self, probably five or six in the dream.

"Okay, my little crow (crow was his pet name for Mae)," he said and adjusted the bed lamp. "What story will it be tonight? Jason and the Argonauts, Theseus and the Minotaur, or Philos and the Guardian?"

"Philos and the Guardian!" she said excitedly (**and FYI, I made up this whole myth)**, "Philos and the Guardian!"

Her father laughed and picked up the shortened, children's version of Philos and the Guardian. "Okay, let's start at the beginning." He flipped through the well-read book and traced his finger along the pages so his daughter could read along.

"Once upon a time there was a fair prince who roamed the land with his faithful friend, Arkoses. Philos was a son of Jupiter and well liked among mortals and immortals alike. Arkoses was a son of Ceres and always looked up to his friend.

"One day they were out riding and…" Her father stopped.

"And what, daddy?" she asked. "What happens next?"

"Didn't you pay attention before, Mae? You should know how the story goes."

"Daddy, I don't understand."

"Your father is right, Mae," said a voice. Mae looked at the door to her room. A teenage boy stood in the doorway. It was her mentor, the son of Mercury. "You have to pay attention. Pay attention to the clues, Mae, they won't be around forever."

"What clues? I don't understand," she whined.

"He's right, Mae," her father said. "You have to pay attention to the clues."

"What clues? What are you talking about?"

"Go back to the beginning, my little crow, go back to the beginning."

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><p>That's the reason why Mae hates her dreams. None of them ever make sense. It doesn't help that she has no idea what her mentor was talking about. <em>Stupid nonsensical dreams<em>, she thought, _you're not really helping anyone._

Mae's stomach growled. This is what you get when you skip lunch.

She got up and walked to the kitchen in search for food. She opened on of the fridges and pulled out a bag of grapes. Mae wondered if the fridges and pantries on this ship were enchanted. They never seemed to run out of anything and when was the last time they stopped to pick up provisions? Never. Exactly.

She nibbled on the grapes enjoying her solitary time in the kitchen. On a ship this size it was hard to find a place where you could be alone even for a few minutes. There was always the broom closet beside her room. Large enough for her to hide in yet it was out of the way and no one noticed it very often. That would be a good place to hide from the others, hide from Luke, hide from the gods; she could even hide from the world in there. She wasn't that desperate yet. She just needed to clear her head of past events. Mae wasn't feeling herself. This whole ship has changed her. And Mae's not too keen on big changes.

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><p>Mae was in her room lying down on one of the couches listening to the radio. Tyler was still in the infirmary and would be until he woke up and was feeling well enough to stand on his own feet. She stared at the ceiling listening to the classic rock from the sixties and seventies, what her dad always played when she was little. She missed her father so much. Was he still alive? Did he give up hope for ever seeing her again? One day, when she was free, she would go out and find him and she would never ever leave him.<p>

Mae's door opened letting the light come in from the hallway. Someone shuffled into her room and sat down on the floor beside her head. The person reached out their hand. Mae took the person's hand.

"How are you feeling, Eric?" she asked.

"Better," he said and rubbed her hand. "Sid stole some nectar for me. I'm taking it easy though."

"You should, you have a poor immune system."

Eric chuckled. "So you do care about me."

"Only sometimes, other times you're a complete jerk."

"I knew you loved me. How are you feeling, Mae?"

"I don't know, part of me is confused and the other part of me is angry."

"Why are you angry?"

She sat up and patted the cushion beside her. Eric took it and sat down. "I'm angry because I don't want to live like I am right now. I hate being a slave, I hate working for Luke, and I hate how the gods don't even care about us."

"Now don't say that-"

"But it's true. We're their kids they should at least take notice about what's going on here." She sighed and put her head in her hands. "And I think Luke isn't the perfect master anymore."

"Are you kidding?" he asked. "Luke is one of the best masters I've ever had."

"Are you sure you haven't noticed anything strange about him lately?"

Eric thought about it. He hasn't noticed much only that Luke is interested in buying more slaves and then there's the thing about that coffin. Eric remembers seeing him kneeling down in front of that coffin and seemed to be talking to it. "Well, there is this whole coffin thing."

"And?"

"Luke talks to it sometimes and he's interested in buying more slaves."

She pressed him further. "Has he ever asked you to pledge allegiance to a certain someone?"

"Well a few days ago we were talking again and he brought up the subject of getting my freedom back and all I had to do was, um, pledge my allegiance to Kronos." He looked down like he was ashamed of what he said.

"Did you?"

"Gods no, he gave me some time to think about my answer but I don't think I will though."

"Why not?" Mae asked.

"I don't know. I think something bad will happen when Kronos comes back to life. And, are you so sure that we will get our freedom back? If anything I bet Kronos will enslave anyone who supported the gods."

"But I don't support the gods, I hate the gods."

Eric sighed and turned to look Mae directly in the eye. "Mae, don't be so harsh on them. It isn't their fault that they can't do anything about the slavery situation. Gaea cursed us. The gods didn't. Why should we serve immortals that will make our lives more miserable than they already are?"

Mae leaned her head onto his shoulder and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

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><p><strong>So I will get back to the whole Philos and the Guardian myth later. I`m still getting it figured out and it won't come into play until way later.<strong>

**Review please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for the crappiness of the last chapter. I promise that this one is soo much better considering it's almost 4000 words long. Sorry, sorry, sorry, please don't hate me for it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter Twelve<p>

A week has passed since the Party Ponies invaded the ship. It was all just a forgotten memory now. The crew on the ship returned to their natural ways. The mortals resumed their daily routine of going to the pool and acting oblivious to the events around them, the warriors trained and fought, and Luke continued to pressure the Romans into joining up with Kronos' army, and every time they would say they needed more time to think about it.

Luke was a somewhat patient man. He would have to be now that those brats Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase stole the Golden Fleece to save their precious camp, even though that camp was doomed. Without the Golden Fleece it was going to be a long time now to heal Kronos. But every day more and more monsters and demigods pledged their allegiance to Kronos. Pieces came back slowly but surely. If only he could get those Roman slaves to pledge their allegiance. He didn't want to force them to pledge their allegiance. He wanted to make sure they could still trust them and say the pledge at the same time. Making them scared would only make them want to escape and he couldn't afford to lose them. These Romans are strong warriors, the strongest he's ever seen.

A new batch of slaves would be coming within two days, a group of ten fine warriors. The slavers and raiders in the Living Underworld were starting to take notice of Luke's movement. Some have even come out to talk to him and see what kind of operation he has going on. So far some of the slavers have agreed to provide Luke's army with weapons and food supplies. With a growing army Luke was going to need it.

Luke knelt down on the Persian rug in front of Kronos' coffin. He closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts as he felt the air grow cold around him as Kronos awoke from his slumber.

_It's been three weeks now, _he said. _The Romans still haven't given their word._

"I know, master," Luke said trembling a little before the Titan. "They are afraid. They don't know what to do in this case."

_But none of them have any respect for the gods. I have heard them as well, Castellan. The girl, Mae, hates the gods with every fiber of her being. They hate the gods for what they did to them. What else is there to consider?_

"Master, these things take time. Besides a new batch of slaves is coming within two days, I'm sure they will take the pledge then."

_And if not then you have to take extreme measures._ You _will make them bind their loyalty to me using the blood oath. That way there is no escape and there never will be an escape. But considering that the raiders and slavers are in full support of me, I will give you until the winter solstice to convince the slaves. That should be plenty of time._

"Thank you, master," Luke said formally, "I will not fail you."

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><p>Mae was pressed back by Tyler. His swift movements caught her off guard for once. This time he was actually trying to corner her. He was smiling as she tried to keep up with his attacks.<p>

Mae bumped into the wall with a sword pointed at her throat. She sighed and let her sword drop to the ground. Tyler grinned and raised his arms in triumph.

"It's about damn time that you actually try," she said and picked up her sword. "Instead of just being lazy and just standing there. And stop smiling. It wasn't a real victory."

"Sore l-loser," he whispered into her ear and walked off.

"Am not," she said and added under her breath, "You stupid mute." Mae walked over to the cooler and fished around for a water bottle. She found one in the bottom and pulled it out of the icy water. She pressed it against her forehead to cool herself down. Luke has been training them hard lately and longer, too. Maybe it's because they haven't agreed to take the pledge yet and this was a punishment…. No that didn't make any sense, if he really wanted to punish them he would use a whip or he would just sell them. Best not to complain about it.

Eric entered the arena after a long talk with Luke. That man just never seemed to let him alone. It was always slaves this and slaves that. Frankly, Eric was growing tired of it. Maybe once those new slaves arrived that finally shut Luke up.

He saw Mae at the cooler and ran over to her. "Hello, Mae," he said.

"Feeling formal this morning are we?" she asked and took a long gulp from the bottle.

"I don't know if I'm feeling formal but I was wondering if you would like to come with me to gather the new slaves."

"You mean go back to the Living Underworld and buy new slaves?" Mae asked.

"Well the slaves are already bought we just have to go and collect them."

"You mean, just us two? Alone? Together?" Mae raised an eyebrow.

"What goes on in that brain of yours? And no we aren't going together, me and the guys are going out but considering there's ten of them and five of us and I think we need some more hands to do the job properly."

"Are you suggesting that you the highly experienced Bounty Hunter can't handle a small band of slaves and are therefore incompetent and weak?"

"I wasn't suggesting anything."

"HA! You're in denial so therefore, Eric Azalea, you are weak! WEAK!" she mocked.

Eric rolled his eyes. "I think being cooped up in this ship has damaged your brain. Will you come then?"

"Sure, so when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning, probably early in the morning, auctions open at nine and close at three so we got to get there quickly."

She nodded eager to get off the ship and onto dry land. Eric smiled and went off to talk to the other Bounty Hunters. She peeled back the bandage on her arm and added two quick strokes to the brand, just to be sure.

Luke stepped onto the floor of the arena and took out his sword. He was feeling a little bit angry today. Scratch that. He was pissed off. Kronos practically told him that he was a failure. If only those Romans would just say the damn pledge. Maybe a little sword practice would make him feel better.

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><p>When Luke challenged Joel to a sword fight everyone knew this battle was going to get interesting. Everyone stood off to the sides, Romans on one, Greeks on the other. Mae stood with her kind watching as the two expert swordsmen stretched and twirled their swords for a little warm up.<p>

The tension in the air was thick. In one corner stood Luke Castellan, a son of Hermes, young and fit who was the best sword trainer at the Greek Camp Half Blood for many years. In the other corner stood Joel Whitman, a son of Vulcan. Standing an amazing six foot five he had the height advantage but so far he and Luke were evenly matched.

The sword match started off ceremonially, they bowed to each other and took a few paces away from each other. They raised their swords and circled each other. Joel grinned in anticipation for the fight. Luke's face was blank.

At Camp Half Blood at they would always have these types of mock battles. Mae always enjoyed watching two well-trained demigods go head to head in the replica of the Coliseum they had to train in. The battles took place every Friday night after dinner. One of the head counselors would go up with a bowl filled with scraps of paper. Everyone over the age of sixteen could enter for the battle. Two slips would be drawn and people who were picked would go off and dress into their armor and strap on their swords and hoist their shields. The rules were always the same and were always followed, no maiming or killing. Although there has been a few fingers and toes cut off and a few scars added here and there the experience was incredible. The fights were also hard and long. Most fights lasted an hour or two with three to five minute breaks mixed in, and few lasted three hours. Mae's always wanted to join in on the fights but she was too young.

Mae contented herself with this fight. So far it was all the same. Luke would lunge and Joel would block. Joel would swing his sword at Luke's neck but Luke would only slap it away. But Joel was only warming up.

The fight continued, the minutes ticked by slowly. Mae was glued to the fight. Joel twisted his blade and using the momentum flipped Luke's blade upwards. He rushed forward and grabbed Luke's wrist. He pressed his blade up against Luke's neck and the other blade behind his neck.

The Romans cheered as Joel released his death grip on Luke.

"Yeah!" said Sid. "You show those Greeks, Whitman!" Joel walked triumphantly back to his kind to receive praise and support from his kind. Luke accepted the defeat as a welcome distraction from his problems. It wasn't every day that someone beat him.

Mae laughed alone with the others. She hasn't had this much fun in years. Pledging loyalty to Kronos didn't seem like a bad idea anymore.

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><p>Mae entered her room smiling for real for once. Tyler was on his bed reading a book written in Latin. However he found that she would never know.<p>

She sat down on her bed and took out her braid. "So I'm going to be leaving in the morning with the Bounty Hunters to gather the new people for Luke. I'll probably be gone for the whole day."

"Mmhmm," he said and flipped the page.

"I was wondering if that was okay with you. 'Cause I can stay if you want me to." The two haven't left each other since the day they came to the Princess Andromeda. It didn't feel right for Mae to leave him all alone. "Do you want to come with us?"

Tyler looked over at her and shook his head. He didn't want to go back to the place that has caused him so much pain.

"So you're okay with me leaving?" Tyler turned back to his book and nodded silently. Mae smiled and hugged him. Tyler smirked and pushed her off of him. Mae ran off into the bathroom to clean herself off for bed.

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><p>It took Mae a while to fall asleep. She hasn't been on land for so long now. It would take them a couple of hours by walking to get to the Living Underworld which meant more sightseeing to be done. Mae felt like she's been trapped in a box and when she finally got out everything has changed.<p>

When they arrived at the auction maybe Mae would see someone she knew there. A former slave companion or maybe even her brother, Kyle, but that was a long shot.

Sometime after midnight Mae started to nod off. She knew if she didn't get enough sleep it was going to be a long day. She was just too excited to sleep. This time when she returned to the auction it would be under different circumstances and she wouldn't be afraid this time.

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><p>Someone shook Mae's arm. She ignored it and slipped further under the covers. The person shook her even harder. She pushed the person away and rolled away. The covers were pulled off her leaving her to feel the cold air of the room.<p>

"Leave me alone," she whispered careful not to wake Tyler.

"Come on, Mae," Eric said. "It's time to go."

Mae rolled back over to see the clock on the nightstand. It just flipped over to five oh one, in the morning. "Really? Five in the morning? Can't we leave at eight?"

"Mae it takes a few hours to get there, the sooner the better. Now get up, we leave in ten minutes." Mae heard him walk away, his footsteps growing quieter and quieter.

Mae waited for a few minutes considering whether it was better to go or to stay. It was either that or she was just really, really lazy.

She stood up and grabbed some clean clothes from the dresser. She disappeared into the bathroom and freshened herself up to try and wake herself up a little more. She quickly changed into the clean clothes, slipped on her flip flops and ran up to the Bounty Hunters near one of the motor boats that was to be launched.

"Chris and Emma will take you to shore," said Luke and pointed out to the tired looking demigods near the boat. "From there you can get to the Living Underworld and collect the slaves. Iris message me when you need to be picked up."

"We understand, sir," said Joel. "Depending on how fast we get there and when we get the slaves we should come back by late tonight or sometime early in the morning."

Luke nodded and yawned. It looked like he didn't get much sleep either. _Probably talking to Kronos again, _she thought.

"Safe travels then," Luke said. "And don't let the slaves get hurt. I'd rather keep them unharmed for now."

Joel nodded and watched Luke walk away back to his room. "Let's go then, boys… and girl. We don't have much time to waste."

The boat was carefully lowered into the water and everyone settled themselves onto the seats. Chris and Emma navigated their way to shore and unloaded the Bounty Hunters and Mae. Mae jumped out of the boat and onto the beach. She ran up a little ways and looked around. This part of the beach was deserted. Garbage littered the ground and the sand didn't look like it had been groomed in years. If any faun were around they would surely faint from the sight of this.

The boat sped off towards the Princess Andromeda leaving the Romans behind. The Bounty Hunters picked up their packs and equipment and headed further inland. Mae followed close behind sometimes wandering off in different directions to have a little bit of fun. But Eric was always sure to call her back if she wasn't in his line of sight.

"Mae," Eric called out. "Where'd you go?"

The bushes rustled off the path. Mae tumbled out and took Eric down to the ground with her.

"Hello, Eric," she said and smiled. "Beautiful day isn't it."

"It would be if you weren't lying on my stomach," he gasped. Mae stood up and reached out her hand to Eric. Once he regained his breath he took it and was pulled off the ground. "Thank you."

"No problem." They continued walking side by side down the beaten path.

"So where did you go this time?"

Mae shrugged. "Here and there. There are so many things to see and do here. I wish I could just live here."

"In the middle of a forest?"

"I like the seclusion. So many hiding spots and places where you can just sit and take a deep breath and think 'this is what I've always wanted.'"

"Is this what you want? Dark forests and naiads for friends?"

"It's a great place to escape. You're never alone when you're a slave. There are always the raiders and other slaves. No time by yourself."

"I bet all slaves have the same wish."

They walked in silence for a bit enjoying the rising sun showing through the gaps in the low leaves of the trees. The birds and the other creatures awoke from the night and a chorus of cheeps and tweets erupted. Mae looked around if she could see any birds around. She saw only one. A crow and it seemed to be following her. It leaped from tree to tree and crowed a few times making sure everyone knew it was around. Scavenger birds usually followed Mae, like vultures and crows. Sometimes they would talk to her but she often ignored them. Usually birds like these meant impending death. But this crow was just hopping from branch to branch it wasn't hovering suggesting death was near.

"Will you two hurry up?" Jim called over his shoulder. "We don't have any time to waste."

They both jogged forward where the others were waiting.

"Sorry 'bout that," Eric said. "So how long do we have yet?"

"Three hours at the most," said Joel. "And I'd rather not lose track of anybody so let's speed up the pace a little bit." Joel turned back down the path and the others followed. Mae paused and looked up at the crow. It stared back down at her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

_You could run away now, _it said. _I know a perfect place to hide where they would never find you._

Mae never thought about running away for a while. She's had it too good on the Andromeda. She hasn't had the need to run away. But what if she did run away now….

"Hurry along, Mae!" Eric yelled up ahead.

"Coming!" she said and turned back to the crow. "Sorry but I don't need your help."

_Well if you do need my help I'm just a whistle away. _The crow took flight and flew above the trees and out of sight. Mae ran up to Eric and walked beside him the rest of the way to the Living Underworld.

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><p>They finally arrived in the Living Underworld sometime after ten. The forest ended at a short steep hill. Mae slipped down the coarse sand burning her bare legs. She hasn't missed this a bit. Eric tumbled down behind her and steadied himself.<p>

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked and stared up at the bright sun.

"A little over three weeks now," Mae said and looked around the blank desert before her. It was amazing to know that this place took up so much space and yet no one beyond the Roman world knew where it was. It wasn't as much amazing as it was terrifying.

Eric opened his back pack and pulled out a large knife with its own sheath. He passed it to Mae to protect herself incase if anyone tried to grab her. She took the knife with wide eyes. Every demigod knew if you escaped the first thing you had to get was a weapon. In this land the demigods can't use any of their powers to aid them in their escape. Death children can't shadow travel; Neptune's children can't call Pegasai to fly away and so forth. It's part of Gaea's curse to make sure that the demigods suffer even further making them know that they can't ever escape from this place, with the few exceptions.

The group walked forward across the hot sand. Mae was thankful for her flip flops. The wind blew a little picking up the fine grains of sand and blowing them into the demigods' eyes. Mae rubbed her eyes and shielded her face from the sand.

They came upon a low hill and a little ways beyond the bottom of the hill was a collection of decrepit buildings and pitched tents. The market was the very center of the Living Underworld. It was the heart and soul of this world's economy. Monsters and raiders roamed about haggling each other for the best price. The demigods made their way down into the market and towards the slave auction at one end of the market.

It was busy in the market today. New stock of everything came in. Weapons, food, dark items such as poisons and other means of witchcraft, lots of new property available in this world, and, of course, the new stock of slaves.

The Bounty Hunters walked through the crowds fearlessly. Being a Bounty Hunter came with a reputation. You were fierce and strong. Monsters and raiders weren't allowed to touch you, just another perk of being a privileged slave. Mae stuck close to Eric's side looking back over her shoulder every now and then to make sure no one was following her.

"They won't hurt you, Mae," Eric said to try and calm her down.

"That's what you think," she said. "Just you wait, there's some monster out there lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on innocent little Mae and take her away from here where he'll eat her!"

"I doubt that'll happen and I would hardly call you innocent."

"Now that's just mean."

Eric laughed and said nothing.

The Bounty Hunters came up the auction near the slave pits. They walked up to one of the auctioneers and talked to him about the pre bought slaves. Mae wandered over to the slave pits and looked through the bars to see if anyone was in there that she knew. She looked over the saddened and lifeless faces of dozens of slaves. She saw no one. She sighed and was about to turn back when something moved in the corner of her eye. Mae turned back to the bars and looked inside. There was a slave in the very back that she missed. She couldn't see the slave clearly. The slave was hunched over with their knees drawn up to their chest. It looked like the slave was trying to hide and not be noticed by the monsters strolling around the market.

An auctioneer came over and unlocked the pen door. The slaves all looked up. The auctioneer pulled out a slave and locked the barred door. Mae looked at the slave in the back. His face was up so she could see him clearly now. His black hair was overgrown and was pulled back by a piece of twine into a stubby braid at the base of his neck. He had a little bit of stubble covering his face showing off his age as an older slave in his early twenties. Mae thought he looked familiar. No, it couldn't be, but it was. The slave looked up at Mae and the realization struck her like an arrow to the heart. She looked into those lifeless dark red eyes and saw him for the first time in six years. The slave was her brother Kyle.

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><p><strong>Dude, this chapter worked out soo much better than I thought it would plus it's really long! Bonus for you guys. And in return for this longness the fiends have a request and I think you guys know what it is. It starts with and R and ends with an EVIEW!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Me: So, Mae, how did you like this chapter?**

**Mae: Why are you torturing me like this? Can't you just free all slaves and let this thing die already?**

**Me: (laughs evilly) You will never escape from this story! MUAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Mae: Looks like I'm going to have to do the disclaimer, Sue's a little off her rocker today.**

**Me: (runs by brandishing a butcher knife)**

**Mae: NO RUNNING WITH KNIVES! She doesn't own PJO she's too crazy!**

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><p>Chapter Thirteen<p>

Mae has always thought about what she would do when she say her brother. Would she run over and jump into his arms or would she faint from the shock of seeing him after so many years? Seeing him in the slave pits shocked her beyond belief. She stood there and stared down at the small huddled figure she once knew.

Once she recovered from the shock she found her voice and spoke up. "Kyle." Her voice was quiet and meek. She took a breath and spoke over the constant chatter of the market. "Kyle Admiral." Her brother finally looked up. He stood up and walked over to the bars of pen expecting to see a slaver interested in him. He focused on the small girl in front of him. Kyle searched her face, puzzled at first but slowly seeing his sister for the first time.

"Mae, is that you?" he asked quietly. He reached through the bars and tucked back the loose hair behind her ear. A tear slipped down his face leaving a streak behind on his dirty face. "I've missed you so much."

Mae pressed against the bars and got as close to Kyle as possible. He awkwardly put his arms around her and gave her as much as a hug as he could. Mae couldn't help but cry.

"Hey, hey, hey," he crooned. "Don't cry, okay? Everything's going to be alright."

"No it's not," she blubbered. "You're going to be sold again and I'm never going to see again."

"Mae, look at me." Mae looked up at Kyle. He placed his hands on her shoulders and held her firmly. "One way or another we will be together as a family. In this life or the next I promise you we will be together."

Mae took in a shuddering breath and nodded. The door of the pen creaked open. Mae saw the auctioneer walk towards where they were. Kyle knew he was going to be taken away. He pulled her into a desperate hug.

"Be brave okay?" he whispered.

"Kyle, don't leave me," she pleaded. "Don't leave me!" The auctioneer pulled Kyle away.

Mae backed away from the pen feeling as if her heart was ripped out. She backed right into someone. She turned to apologize relieved to see it was only Eric.

Eric chuckled. "Watch where you're going, Mae. You could hurt someone." Mae was shuddering. Eric's smiled dropped. "What's wrong?"

"I-i-t's my, my, br-brother," she stuttered. "He's, he's being sold. Eric, I don't want him to be sold. I don't want to lose him."

"Mae, there's nothing we can do. Even if we were allowed to bid on him we could never afford him. Slaves go too high. Do you want me to take you away? We don't have to watch this if you don't want to."

Mae shook her head. "I have to see this. I want to see the face of the person who's buying him." Eric nodded and walked Mae over to the back of the crowd where she could have a clear view of the sale. He stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders to comfort her.

"We got an older slave here today," said the auctioneer. "Very strong, years of experience." He turned Kyle around and pulled up his shirt to show off his back. Mae sucked in air as she saw the horrible scars crisscrossing all over his back. Some seemed newer than others. Kyle was a troublesome slave. But that didn't keep the bids from going up. Kyle was an older slave and was well experienced; the two things slavers looked for in a slave.

"We got a lot of scars here but nonetheless the young man here is a very good worker," said the auctioneer. "Bidding starts at fifty drachmas!"

"Fifty!"

"Seventy five!"

"One hundred and twenty five!" Most of the slavers pulled out from there but two kept raising the price. Apparently Kyle was worth the trouble.

"One hundred and fifty!"

"Two hundred!"

"Two hundred and twenty five!"

Silence.

The auctioneer spoke up. "Do I have two hundred and fifty? Two hundred and thirty five?" The crowd was silent. "Sold! For two hundred and twenty five drachmas!" Mae shut her eyes and chocked back a sob.

"It's all right, Mae," Eric whispered. "Everything is going to be all right."

Mae opened her eyes and wiped away the tears. She strode away from Eric and into the crowd towards the sold pen. She would wait for Kyle's new master to show up and have a good look into the person's face thinking of the best way she could kill it.

Kyle's hands were tied to the post. He stared at the ground and waited. Mae stood at one of the nearest stalls and pretended she was more interested in the objects on the table. She watched as more slaves entered the pen, some left most stayed. Probably all bought by the same slaver.

The slaver arrived at the pen with two overseers behind him. There were five slaves all together that he bought. Each of the slaves was strung up into a line and was herded away by the overseers. The slaver paid off the auctioneer. He walked off towards Mae behind his slave chain. Mae turned away from the stall and looked up at the raider. Usually raiders wore hoods and covered up their withered faces. This one didn't. It was as if he was trying to enhance his monster aura and dominance over the slaves. This one had an ego the size of the real Underworld, and that was growing bigger by the day! His hairless head was a brown color and looked like a giant piece of dried leather. His eyes were black voids with no whites or any other color pigmentation. A whip coiled at his side along with a long sword. Mae looked at him as long as she could until he disappeared back into the crowd of the market. She walked back to Eric and waited by him for the others to return with the group of slaves for Luke.

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><p>Mae walked beside Eric in silence across the sand. It was early afternoon by the time they started back on their journey. The group of slaves was split in two groups to make them more manageable. Overall the slaves were well behaved. They didn't talk, they didn't struggle, they just walked forward and kept their eyes on the ground.<p>

"Are you okay?" Eric asked Mae knowing there was something wrong with her. Usually she would be wandering around the area.

Mae shook her head and folded her arms over her chest.

"Is it because you saw your brother being sold?"

She shrugged. Eric put his arm around her and rubbed her arm.

"He'll be fine. The older slaves are usually treated well and are usually held in a higher regard than the other slaves."

"As if that's supposed to make me feel better." She sniffed and sighed. "And it does, thank you."

"What are friends for?"

* * *

><p>The sun slowly fell behind the horizon covering the desert in a blanket of inky darkness. The Bounty Hunters picked a flat spot for the night and started to make camp. The slaves were separated from each other and then tied to stakes in the ground a few feet away from each other so they couldn't untie themselves. Rations were handed out to them and slowly each of them drifted off to sleep. Mae sat with the Bounty Hunters holding her food in one hand and looking at the curled up forms of the slaves. There were so many of them. All Roman demigods just like her.<p>

Jim walked by from completing his rounds of checking each demigod and collapsed onto the sand. "I am not doing that again," he mumbled.

"It couldn't be that bad," said Zach. "I mean, you're a Bounty Hunter, you should be feared."

"Yeah, well some of these slaves have teeth. Really, sharp, hard, nasty teeth."

"What happened this time?" asked Joel.

"One of the slaves bit me. I was checking her ropes, you know routine and all. Next thing I know is she has her mouth clamped on my wrist trying to bite my hand off."

"What'd you do?"

"Gagged her," he said flatly. "I told her 'if you don't stop biting me I'm gonna gag you'. She didn't listen so I pinned her down and gagged her."

Mae nearly choked on her food. "You gag slaves?"

"When necessary."

_Once a Bounty Hunter,_ she thought, _always a Bounty Hunter._

Losing her appetite she pitched what food was left in her hand far into the desert. She lay down on the sand and twisted around in the sand getting into a comfortable position. The Bounty Hunters continued to talk for a while before each of them went quiet. Mae waited until she heard no more rustling coming from them. She stood thankful she could see well in the dark and slowly weaved her way through the sleeping forms of the slaves.

The slave that bit Jim was one of the last ones she visited. She looked so small and fragile as if the tinniest thing that could hit her would shatter her small frame. The girl was emaciated compared to the other slaves like she was starving herself on purpose. Compared to becoming a slave, death was a welcomed option.

Mae crouched down beside the slave silently. Bounty Hunters were known to wake at the quietest sound and she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

Mae poked the slave gently. The slave sat up so quickly Mae was startled and fell back onto the sand. She held out her hands showing she had no weapons of any kind on her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she whispered quietly and slowly. "I just want to help you." The slave nodded vigorously. Mae crept forward and untied the knot from the gag. She threw it as far as she could so it would never be used on the slaves ever again. This was just cruel.

"Aren't you going to untie me?" asked the slave.

"Why would I?" Mae asked feeling a little confused.

"You said you wanted to help. Help me by untying my ropes." The slave held forward her wrists.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to take it like that. I only wanted to take out the gag."

The slave's shoulders sagged. She got her hopes up too high for ever escaping. "I guess I'm never gonna get out of here," said the slave. "Thanks for helping anyway."

"Hey listen," Mae said. "I'm not a Bounty Hunter if that's what you're thinking. I'm a slave just like you but the place you're going to go to is wonderful."

"Wha…what do you mean?" the slave asked, a little curious to hear more.

"The first time I came there I thought it was going to be just like any other plantation. Luke, the master, doesn't make you call him master. You can call him Luke or sir, and he gives you footwear and new clothes… and…and after a while you get to fight with swords and be a normal demigod again."

"Really?"

"Yes really. You don't have to be afraid about where you're going to next or never think you'll ever be free because on this ship you'll be freer than you've ever been."

The slave was silent. News like this was music to ones ears. "I really get shoes?"

Mae chuckled. Hearing the word 'footwear' was like gold. "Flip flops really but they're green and they're all yours."

"All mine," whispered the slave who lay back down on the sand and thought about what Mae said. But she didn't tell the slave everything. She didn't tell her about the coffin, or Luke being just a little bit crazy, or the fact that you work alongside with monsters but she didn't want to disappoint the slave by saying that she was going to a ship mastered over by what seemed like a bipolar madman. No. Mae would keep quiet for now. Surely things would even out after a month or two.

Mae sat there until the slave fell asleep. She quickly slipped back to where the Bounty Hunters were sleeping and curled up on the sand.

So maybe being a slave wasn't as bad as it seemed. I guess you could say there are some perks to being a slave. You know you'll be taken care of, unless if you do something against your masters wishes, some masters (if they are feeling generous) will even give you back your freedom if you've proven yourself worthy of it, and if you get a master like Luke Castellan well then your whole life will seem to brighten. But everything is not as it seems as it looks like from the outside. Everyone has their dark side. Whether it is Apollo or Luke Castellan.

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><p><strong>Mae: I think if Sue were still alive today she would want you to review.<strong>

**Sue: I'm not dead.**

**Mae: THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!**


	14. Chapter 14

**WARNING: This chapter skips several months and ends up in the Titan's Curse. Just so you're no confused and believe me its better this way.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.**

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><p>Chapter Fourteen… A week before the winter solstice<p>

Libintia shifted instantly sending pain down the right side of her body. She shouldn't do that again. Her right wing was broken and she was unable to heal herself with these cursed celestial bronze chains around her wrists and ankles chaining her to the cold metal floor of who knows where. She can't even remember how she got here. Let's see, she was hovering over a dying person in a hospital watching as Mors reaped the soul so she could get to work on preparing the body. Then, then came a light, a bright flash of light or something that was moving really fast. Next thing was just blackness. Nothing. No light, no sound, no sudden movement beneath her just complete and utter nothingness. Then she woke up with a wing broken and no idea of what was going on.

She sat up gingerly sparing herself from any more pain. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. A door was visible across from her but other than that this room, if you could call it that, was empty and bare.

The door slowly squealed open. Sunlight flooded into the room blinding Libintia. She raised a wing to shield her eyes. She looked through the gaps in her feathers and saw two figures. One tall and broad and another smaller in height and in build. She lowered her wing folding it back behind her and watched as the two strangers approached.

"What right gives you to kidnap a goddess?" she asked. "Do you not know who I am, foolish mortals?"

"You are Libintia, Roman goddess of death, corpses, and funerals," said one with a very deep voice. "And I do not need a reason for kidnapping you, little goddess."

Libintia growled and her eyes grew a brighter red. "How dare you-" The bigger man quickly ran to Libintia and seized her by the throat lifting her off the ground. She gripped at the wrist of her attacker struggling for breath.

The man laughed a very cruel laugh. "Oh, my dear, sweet Libintia. So ignorant to what is happening to the world around you." He dropped her and paced in front of her. Libintia coughed and sputtered regaining her breath curling her still functional wing around her for comfort. "Tell me, Libintia, have you ever noticed that Tartarus is stirring or do you keep yourself occupied with your job ignoring the world around you?"

Libintia kept quiet. Usually she was never one to talk unless provoked. Being a goddess of death all the other immortals avoided her because, well, she was death. And the one form she was most comfortable in was her death form. She wore a black cloak that fell to her feet with a hood and very long sleeves with gaps in the back for her wings to have full movement. She always kept to herself busying herself with paperwork that kept flooding in every time someone died. Had to keep her Lord Pluto happy because if he wasn't happy someone was going to pay and Libintia did not want to be that someone.

"I've heard about you," said the large man. "Even trapped under that piece of cursed sky I've heard about you. About the young goddess who used to be an earth goddess and then changed professions. Yes I've heard how you went to Pluto and he granted your wish and changed you into what you are today. The goddess who can raise an army of the un-dead at the snap of her fingers." The man stopped pacing and turned to Libintia.

She knew that face. The man had a military buzz cut and was literally huge. It even looked like his muscles had muscles. Of course he would be that strong after holding up the sky for several millennia. He was Atlas, the Titan who supported the sky as punishment for supporting the Titans during the first war. How he was standing here and who was supporting the sky was a mystery.

"Hello, Atlas," she said coldly.

"So you do remember me after all," Atlas said. "Most have forgotten about me even though I support the sky which keeps you from being destroyed."

"Enough chit-chat," she said. "If you have something to say to me then say it. If you've come to sneer at me because you've captured me then you have nothing else to say to me."

"Feisty," he said and smiled. "I like that in a goddess. I get to have more fun with them that way. But I do have much to say to you. Don't ever think you are going to escape because you will never escape. The only thing you will do is prepare your un-dead to march forth and take Olympus."

Libintia snorted and rolled her eyes. "You really think you can take on Olympus by yourself? Please, Atlas, don't humiliate yourself even further."

"You are so blind, Libintia. Open your eyes for once and see what is happening. Kronos is rising from Tartarus. He is growing stronger every day. Soon we will be unstoppable and we will take down the Olympians."

The gears in Libintia's mind started to turn putting all the pieces together. Her capture, Atlas' escape, Kronos rising. "And you expect me to play along with your stupid plan? To raise an army of the un-dead to defeat the Olympians?"

Atlas sauntered over to her smiling cruelly. He towered over her and placed a meaty hand on her back as if to embrace her. He grabbed her broken wing and bent it even further. Libintia cried out in pain frozen in place unable to move from the pain. He bent down to her ear and whispered every word precisely so she would understand clearly. "I don't expect you to play along. I expect you to resist every single time I come in here. And every time you do I will certainly enjoy the sound of your bones cracking underneath my hands. I'll let you think about that for a while. Better hurry too; I'm not a very patient man." He released his grip on her wing and walked out of the room with the other man following behind him.

Libintia curled up on the metal floor, folding her wings around her. She's watched many humans to know what this emotion she was feeling was right now. Hopelessness. She's seen it so many times in humans in death situations. Humans trapped in boats that are sinking, prisoners of war, lost in the wilderness, all near death knowing escape and rescue were impossible. But she wasn't a human. She was a goddess. She could never die but she could certainly feel pain and Atlas would make sure she would feel lots of pain.

What did humans do in her case? What did they do when they were captured by some mad man with a knife? They begged and did whatever it took for them to stay alive. That was a good survival tactic, for now at least. For the time being until Libintia found a way to get out, she would cooperate even if it meant raising an army for Kronos.

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><p>"Happy captivity day to me. Happy captivity day to me. Happy captivity day to me-e. Happy captivity day to me," sang Mae. "Make a wish, Mae." She blew out an imaginary candle over the sink in the bathroom. Today marked her seventh year of slavery. Seven long and painful years. "It just won't end, will it?" she asked her reflection. Mae sighed and pulled on her clothes before going out into the rest of the apartment.<p>

She's been aboard the Princess Andromeda since August. It was now late December, a total of four months and something days. She didn't care how many days she served upon this ship. She only cared about the number of days she spent being a slave. So far it added up to a grand total of one thousand four hundred and sixty days, give or take a few for leap years and so on. That was just one thousand four hundred and sixty days to many. But Mae couldn't complain. This ship has been the best thing that's ever happened to her.

So far every day since has been the same. Nothing new, no life changing events, just the same routine over and over again. Wake up, breakfast, sword training, lunch, more training, dinner, sleep, etcetera, etcetera. Once in a while she would go down into the Living Underworld and collect slaves with the Bounty Hunters. Those were fun trips and now there were at least forty slaves on the ship. The only thing out of the ordinary was that the ship changed course.

After Mae came back with the new group of slaves months ago, the Princess Andromeda was turned out to open water and a course was set for the Panama Canal. The ship slowly chugged forward and within a few weeks arrived in California. The ship was soon moored in open water not far from Mount Tamalpais. Dark clouds seemed to form over top the mountain and grew darker every day. The mortals never seemed to notice it. They were always so blind to what was happening around them.

Mae opened the door and made her way down to dining hall for dinner. It was colder than normal today so she wore her long sleeved shirt and pants. She was just getting used to the warm weather down in the south before coming back north. Mae continued to walk down the hall following some of the other demigods.

Being raised in a large family, Mae understood the tactics needed to survive any meal. Load up your plate as fast as you can and defend with your fork. It's a battle to grab the best food before it's gone but today Mae was late. She had too much on her mind at the moment. For one thing her dream has returned. The one about the bird with the broken wing chained to a wall. That one has been returning every night this week.

Mae slid down in a chair beside a frowning Eric. He seemed deep in thought as his plate wasn't even filled up yet. She grabbed what food she could plus a little extra of the good stuff for Eric if he didn't snap out of his daze soon.

She elbowed Eric in the side. He shook his head and looked towards Mae and smiled.

"Hello," he said and went for the remaining food.

"Hello as well," she said and picked up her fork. "Something on your mind?"

"Luke's been pressuring me again about the oath," he said and stared down at his plate. "Has he said anything to you about it?"

Mae shrugged and filled her glass with water. "He's mentioned it once or twice but he hasn't been necessarily mean about it."

"He threatened me about it." Mae dropped her fork and turned to him. Eric continued to stare down at the table. "He said one way or another I would serve Kronos."

"He hasn't said anything like that to me before."

"He favours you."

"Does not!"

"Does too! He always praises you for your sword work and how you are one of the best fighters he has ever seen. I don't know why but he favours you above the rest of us. And he hasn't threatened you about joining up with Kronos' army."

"Well… maybe it's because you're a guy and I'm a girl. Since you're a guy maybe you can take a threat… like a man!"

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting I'm not a man?"

"Well," she started.

"I am shocked and appalled that you would say such a thing about me," he said. "It's not like I do anything to you."

"Yeah, only asking me questions and locking me up in a damp cell for four days."

"Oh yeah… Good times."

"Very." Mae picked up her fork and started to eat once again. Eric picked up his fork and ate a little but clearly his focus was on something else.

Mae looked around at the other demigods and few monsters at the table. Usually there was talking and laughter but today everyone wore serious expressions. The atmosphere on the ship felt like everyone was holding their breath only waiting for the right time to take in a deep breath. She watched them carefully to try and figure out what it could be but they spoke in hushed tones. Everything was still shrouded in mystery on this ship even after four months.

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><p>After dinner, Mae was summoned down to where Kronos' coffin laid. Luke was standing before it looking out through the window at the setting sun.<p>

"You summoned for me, sir?" she asked and took a step inside.

"Yes I did." He sounded tired. "There is something I would like you to see. Follow me." Luke turned and waved Mae forward to follow him. She obediently followed him down the halls and stairwells of the ships into one of the cargo holds in the hull of the ship. It was a cold place to be and Mae wrapped her arms around her and shivered a little. She felt something down here. A powerful presence was down here.

Luke led her to one of the cargo holds and pulled on the handle to open the cargo door. The light from the hull streamed in across the floor. Something moved way in the back, out of the beam of light. Luke motioned Mae to go in. She did and took a few steps until she was standing in the middle of the hold. Luke walked up beside her and spoke out to the darkness ahead of them.

"You have a visitor," he said.

Mae heard the quiet clinking of chains. Something shuffled and slowly walked into the beam of light was a woman. A tall dark woman in a black cloak with pure black wings. One was broken while the other was folded back. It was just like her dream, the chained bird with the broken wing. She's never met her before, never seen her, never even heard about her. But there she was. Libintia, Mae's mother, in all her glory.

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><p><strong>Hehehehehhe. I'm soo evil to you guys. I could've kept writing but I'm like no. They can suffer for a few days and give me reviews to fuel my passion for this story. It's turning out so well!<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**K, so I thought about it for a good 24 hours and thought you guys have suffered enough. This one is shorter but the next one is really long so you probably won't have to wait that long for the next chapter. So enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Does it look like I'm a man? Hopefully not, since I don't look like that awesome man Rick Riordan then I don't own PJO**

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><p>Chapter Fifteen<p>

It took a very special man to capture Libintia's attention. Most of the mortal men were always too focused on their jobs and were always so chipper about everything. Some of them were okay, they saw the dark part of life but they didn't catch her eye. There was one special man though. He came up to her probably thirty years ago now. Libintia hasn't fallen for a man since. This one was perfect. Rugged, powerful, dark and mysterious all at the same time. He was the perfect man for her and so she blessed that man with ten beautiful children. And one of those ten stood in front of her. Shocked and confused.

As instructed by Jupiter, no god or goddess was allowed to interfere with their children's lives. Libintia was sad to see her children grow up without her watching them, teaching them useful lessons. She was always so proud of them and Mae was no exception.

The young man walked up to Mae and spoke to her. "Is there anything you would like to say to your mother, Mae?"

Mae looked around the room at first trying to figure out what to say. Finally she fixed her eyes on Libintia. "You abandoned me."

"I haven't," Libintia answered. "I would never abandon you. I love you."

"If you loved me then you should have proved it. You never did though. You never cared about me!"

"I have always cared about you!" Both went silent then Libintia continued. "Every day I watched over you. I watched as you grew into the young lady that stands before me. If you still don't think I care about you I do. From the day you were taken by the raiders I wept knowing I would rather bury you than to see you work for monsters. But I see you already made your decision." Libintia stared at Luke. Mae looked back at Luke.

"Luke is no monster," said Mae. "He's one of the kindest masters I've ever had."

"And yet he is going to force you to pledge allegiance to Kronos like he is forcing me to work for him."

Mae turned to Luke, shocked. "Is this true, Luke? You're going to force me?"

Luke smiled trying not to become angry. "I'm not forcing you, Mae. I'm offering you an alternative. No longer will you have to worry about the gods caring or wondering if they will do anything about the slavery. I will take care of you better than your mother ever has."

Libintia thought the young man was very manipulative. Offer the person what they most want and they will do anything for you. But Mae wasn't like the others. She was strong willed and didn't take rules too seriously.

"My mother is right, Luke," Mae said quietly. "You are the monster here. Not the gods! And if you think you can use me you are so wrong. You've always commented on how well we Romans fight. Well it's about time you've learned not to mess with us." Mae pulled out the knife she still had from Eric all those months ago. It didn't look too impressive compared to Luke's sword but she could throw a dagger just as well as fighting with a sword and Luke knew that.

Luke laughed a little hysterically. "Did you think I would back down from you? I've always had a backup plan if this problem were to arise, but no big deal. I will destroy the gods with or without your will to help."

Luke unsheathed his sword, his face was blank. Three demigods in armour came into the room. They surrounded Mae with their swords pointed at her. Mae was outnumbered severely.

"Luke," she said quietly. "Why?"

"Because Kronos asked for you," he said and looked to the other demigods. "Lock them all up and take away any weapons they might have. We will start the procedure next week."

"Yes, sir," they all answered and started to prod Mae away.

Libintia watched as her daughter was taken away. Pleading and begging for her life. This Luke guy was a cruel, cruel man. She would certainly enjoy preparing his body for burial once she received it.

"Kronos will not let you live," she said catching Luke's attention. "Kronos only cares about himself and once you're past your usefulness he will kill you. I hope you know that."

Luke only smiled manically and stared at his sword. "I've always known that and I've come to accept my fate. Have you?" He sheathed his sword and left the cargo hold sealing the door behind him.

Libintia was plunged back into the blackness of her cell. Her daughter was strong she would soon see her gift. Soon she would realize her potential. Soon she would be free. Soon…

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><p>Mae was pushed back to her room along with every single Roman demigod on the Andromeda. There was confusion all aboard the ship. It was just like a lockdown sequence in any prison. The Romans were given a pat down before being shoved into their rooms with the door being locked from the outside. Mae was relieved of her dagger and the small pocket knife she carried. She pounded on the door and paced when she realized no one was going to answer her.<p>

It went on like that for a few minutes. Pound, pace, sit, pound, pace, sit. Finally the door opened she raced to it only to see that Tyler was being ushered in. He was trembling a bit and kept his gaze on the floor. As the door closed Mae saw a red stained knife slowly retreat behind the door.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked looking over Tyler for any knife wound.

Tyler looked at Mae blinking back the tears and nodded. She brought him over to the couch and let him cry silently. Knives were still terrifying to him even after all this time. Once in a while he would wake up from a nightmare filled with images of knives. Mae was always there to comfort him. He was glad she was here now.

"Where did they cut you, Tyler?" she whispered after a few minutes of letting him get settled. "Where'd they cut you?"

Tyler took in a deep shuddering breath and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt revealing his the underside of his forearm. Scrawled into his arm was the word _servus_ or 'slave' in Latin. It stopped bleeding but the mental scarring would never heal. When the Greek demigods found him the training arena they decided to have a little bit of fun with him. These demigods are the same ones who tried to use Tyler as their personal slave. This time there was no Bounty Hunter or Mae to come to his rescue. He had to fight against them but he just put away the practice sword he was using.

The demigods pinned him on the floor and pushed back his sleeve. One took out his knife and started to carve each letter into his arm. They all expected him to scream out but his first beating taught him not to. He only trashed on the ground even though they pinned him down. Once they had their fun they returned him to his room.

Mae went into the bathroom and wet a cloth with cold water. She pressed it against his arm and cleaned up the dried blood. He was sobbing lightly and shaking like a leaf. Mae sat down beside him and started to rub his back like he was still a child.

It took him a while to calm down but eventually the sobbing ceased and the tears no longer fell. He wiped away the last remaining bits of blood and pulled down his sleeve.

"Thank you," he mumbled and stared at the far wall ashamed that he cried like he did in front of her.

Mae hugged him tightly. "What are friends for?"

"Wh-what do they w-want?" he stammered.

Mae gulped. "They're going to force us to pledge loyalty to Kronos."

"How?"

"I don't know," she answered feeling defeated. "If only there was some way to get out of here then we would finally be free."

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><p><strong>So? Was it worth the torture? Review please, they give me great satisfaction.<strong>

**OH and before I forget, this chapter is dedicated to Masterassassin who has review my story and added my story to his/her favourites. Thanks. It is much appreciated.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry it took so long to update. I had much homework to complete that annoyed me ever so greatly but here it is the chapter of awesomeness.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

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><p>Chapter Sixteen<p>

Mae and Tyler searched every inch of their apartment for a way out. There was the small window in the bedroom but that only led to a fifty foot drop into the ocean. That would be fun but would also make a tremendous splat on impact and Mae didn't think it was worth it to be so close to being free.

Next they tried to find something to pick lock the door but nothing was available. All they could do was wait until Luke released them from their room and forced them into a new type of enslavement.

Mae fell into a restless sleep. She mostly sat up in her bed wondering what was going to happen to her. It was just as bad as being dragged into the Living Underworld when she was seven. It's the unknown that'll kill you in the end. With your heart slamming up against your chest so you can't hear your own thoughts, you're breathing becomes irregular and you become paranoid jumping at every small sound you hear. How can you sleep when fear grips your heart leaving you immobilized?

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><p>Eric sat on the floor with his back against the wall. A dracaenae walked, or slithered, before him and the rest of the Bounty Hunters with a spear in hand sometimes pointing it at them menacingly so they wouldn't try to move and escape. But they wouldn't be able to escape since they bound their ankles and wrists in chains. If there was a distraction maybe Eric could choke the guard holding the keys but there were several guards around them. They were Bounty Hunters after all, dangerous and ruthless people.<p>

Eric knew something was up when he saw all the Roman slaves being herded into their rooms at sword and spear point. Then the monsters came and captured the Bounty Hunters and bound them in shackles making them sit in this room for a couple of hours to lower their resistance.

He looked towards Joel for an answer. Joel always had a plan in any situation, good or bad. But he only sat there motionless and beaten.

Eric shifted making his chains clink against each other. The dracaenae heard immediately and slithered over to him. She held her spear under his throat making it hurt when he swallowed. Eric looked up. Her tongue flicked in and out of her mouth like she was hungry.

The snake woman bent down to Eric tasting the air around him. He could've sworn he heard her mumble something along the lines of 'yummy demigod meat'. She only hissed happily that she made him shudder in fear and continued her rounds before the Bounty Hunters.

Eric breathed a sigh of release. Could this nightmare get any worse?

* * *

><p>The next few days were a hellish nightmare. Mae awoke to hearing the door to her apartment open. She jumped out of bed and ran to the door just to see it close and then lock again. A tray of food was set on the ground just like it was during the first day she came here. She shouldn't get her hopes up of getting out any time soon. It's been the third day of her new found imprisonment and nothing has changed.<p>

She picked up the tray and carried it into the bedroom. "Breakfast," she said. Tyler only sighed in gloom and sat up in his bed. Just another boring day of being a slave.

* * *

><p>It was the fifth day that Eric has been locked up in his room. It really wasn't his room though, not the large room he once shared with the others but a small one with a crude looking bed and a small bathroom. Barely enough room to walk around in.<p>

He walked slowly and quietly from the door to the back wall trying to see if could not make his chains clink. So far he was almost expert at it. _Heel, toe, heel, toe, _he thought trying to keep his mind off the pain in his wrists.

After sitting on the ground for hours five days ago, the Bounty Hunters were all locked up in separate, smaller rooms so they couldn't plan an escape together. They also kept the chains on all of them. Eric tried forcing them off his wrists but that only chaffed and broke his skin making blood flow down his wrists.

_Heel, toe, heel, toe, _he thought and turned around back to the door. _Heel, toe, heel, toe. This'll all be over soon. _He almost convinced himself of that but this was just the beginning.

* * *

><p>It was the day of the Winter Solstice when Mae's door opened and stayed open. Demigods and monsters with weapons at the ready were standing in the hallway ready to escort the slaves out of their room with as little trouble as possible.<p>

Mae let herself be taken down the hallway to where Kronos' coffin laid. She kept thinking of what to do and how to escape without being killed. Nothing came up that would help out.

Other doors opened down the hall. A few of the Bounty Hunters were taken out. All of them bound in chains.

They were marched down the hallway into room where Luke stood with his sword unsheathed. His eyes were closed and he was turned towards the coffin. _Probably speaking to Kronos again, _she thought.

She was pushed forward towards the coffin. A large monster stood behind her and clamped its fury hands on her arms so she wouldn't escape. Tyler and the three Bounty Hunters that were present were ushered to the back of the room to wait.

Luke opened his eyes and breathed deeply. He smiled and chuckled to himself not sounding all that sane. "Everything is going to according to plan," he said to his minions. "Artemis will miss the meeting on Mount Olympus and Kronos' army will grow significantly all by the end of tonight." He turned and smiled at Mae. Mae glared at him. "Why so glum, Mae? This will be your finest hour."

"I never asked for this," she said. "I trusted you!"

"That's everyone's first mistake," he said and smiled, the scar on his face rippled. "They always trust me and I never know why. I'm just another son of Hermes and they always trust me. Trust me when I say this, Mae. Everything will be better when Kronos is in power and the gods are destroyed."

Luke nodded to the monster holding Mae who gripped her wrist and held it out, palm upturned. The monster pushed her forwards a little more until her arm was over top of the golden coffin. Mae looked at it. One word stuck out amongst the carvings of death and destruction. _F__ides_or 'loyalty' in Latin. The letters were carved in deeply into the gold forming deep grooves. Luke brought up his sword over Mae's palm. He pressed the cold blade against her skin getting ready to cut her. She's heard of this before. It's called a blood oath. Once her blood pours into the grooves of the letters she would be permanently bound to Kronos until the day she died.

Mae had to escape. She never wanted this. She took in a deep breath and focused on her powers. She hasn't done this type of thing in a long time. The last time this happened she was five and that was completely an accident.

The tug in her gut grew painfully as she thought in her mind, _salva nos__, __salva nos__,__ salva nos__! (save us, save us, save us!) _The pain was nearly blinding but she heard the flap of wings, hundreds of wings around the boat. Just as Luke was about to slash open her palm the window in front of the coffin shattered. Black forms flew into the room surrounding everyone and pecking them to death.

Mae spoke to the crows to not attack the Romans and only the Greeks, they obeyed and created a much needed distraction.

She crawled along the floor avoiding being whacked in the face by a wing. The crows were screeching at each other. The chatter was more or less the same. _Fresh meat! Fresh meat! _As long as her friends stayed alive the crows could do as they pleased with the Greeks.

Mae heard the jingling of the keys near her. A demigod was struggling against a mass of crows pecking away at her face. Mae reached up and yanked the keys from the girl's belt and crawled on towards the back of the room where the others were huddled.

She reached out and grabbed someone. She saw the chains surrounding the person's wrists. She pulled the person forward who in turn started pulling the person next to him. The five Romans crawled out of the room and into the hallway. Joel was the last to tumble into the hallway. He kicked the doors closed with his feet and sat against them breathing heavily.

"We gotta get out of here and now," he said.

"Before we go anywhere let's get those chains off of you," said Mae. She picked up the ring of keys and started to unlock the chains on the Bounty Hunters.

Tyler picked up the chains and started to wrap them around the handles of the doors locking them in place to stall the people inside even longer.

"Nice one,"' said Jim. "That's a plan worthy of Minerva." Tyler smiled and nodded.

"Enough talk we have to get out of here," said Mae who jumped to her feet and ran down the hall with the others close behind her.

"We should at least try and get the others out as well," said Eric. "We can't leave them behind to serve Kronos."

Joel nodded and turned to Jim. "Get Sid and Zach and find those damn keys for my cuffs. I have a feeling I'm going to light up some monsters tonight." Jim nodded and turned down a different hallway. "Eric, take Tyler and find some useful weapons to take along with us. Mae, you and I are going to bust some slaves."

They all nodded and turned their separate ways.

Joel and Mae ran to the hall where some of the slaves were being held. Guards patrolled the hall with spears and swords.

"What do you think we should do?" she whispered.

"Wait till Jim comes with the keys," he said. "Then I go in and kill them all."

"Have you ever taken… fourteen guards on before?"

He shrugged. "There's a first for everything."

They waited but not for long to hear the stomping of Jim's feet against the floor. Joel turned and motioned Jim to stop running so the guards wouldn't hear his loud footsteps. He did and tossed Joel a small silver key. Joel quickly unlocked the silver cuffs on his wrists revealing startling pale skin compared to his tanned arms. He flexed his fingers feeling the power flow back into his hands.

He turned to Mae and Jim. "Remember, keep it quiet and clean. We kill all of them so no one raises the alarm." He turned to Mae. "How long do you think until they beat the crows?"

"Five minutes at the most," she said. "I can't guarantee it though."

Joel nodded and flexed his fingers one last time before heading into the hall.

He caused small balls of fire to appear from his palms. He caused them to grow bigger and bigger until they were the size of large boulders. The guards turned and noticed but it was too late. Joel hurled the balls of flame at the stunned guards incinerating everything in their path.

Once the last guard fell and burned down into a pile of ashes the Romans walked through the hall picking up what useable weapons that were left. Mae found the keys in a large pile of ash and started to unlock all the doors. Ten slaves popped out and looked around the burned hallway.

"Everyone," said Jim. "Follow me; I know a good way to escape."

The slaves ran off with Jim down the hall. Mae pulled Joel to the side.

"Libintia is trapped in the cargo hold," she said. "We have to save her."

"Mae, we don't have time," he said. "Luke could be on his way right now."

Mae rolled her eyes. "Have you forgotten I'm a child of death?"

Joel raised an eyebrow and was about to say something before Mae grabbed his arm and fell back into a shadow.

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><p>It's been a long time since she's shadow-travelled. The first time was when she was four. Jason was teaching her how to master it within a few years. The feel of it was amazing. Wind howling past your face and complete darkness envelops you for only a few seconds before dumping you out at your destination.<p>

Joel immediately fell to the ground breathing heavily. "Never, ever do that again," he said and took a few minutes to regain his breath. "I'm okay, I think." He stood up a little wobbly a first and followed Mae to the cargo hold were Libintia was.

A heavy chain held the doors together with a sturdy padlock. Joel held the padlock in one hand and focused on intense heat. The lock slowly but surely started to melt into a puddle of molten metal. He ripped off the chain and pulled open the door.

"Can you melt celestial bronze?" Mae asked.

He shrugged. "Should be."

They walked into the darkness of the hold and into the back where Libintia laid. She shifted once she heard footsteps approach. She sat up expecting to see Atlas hovering over her but he wasn't. She heard the dripping of something along with the smell of molten metal. The chains on her wrists and ankles were removed no longer preventing her from using her powers.

"Sorry to interrupt you sleep, Lady Libintia," said Joel. "But we have to get off the ship and now."

Libintia stood up and stretched out her wings. The right one was now healing itself. "Thank you, son of Vulcan. Is there anything you would like in return?"

"Help us get as many slaves off the ship as possible, if that isn't too much."

Libintia smiled feeling like ruining Atlas' plan for making her raise an army of the un-dead. "Consider it done. Take care, my daughter. I always knew you would live up to your name."

Libintia shimmered and disappeared in the shadows. There it was again. _Live up to your name. _Everyone keeps saying that to Mae. She shook her head and pushed it to the back of her mind. She had to focus on getting out of here.

"Do you know where Jim would be right now?" she asked.

"I'm afraid to tell you," Joel admitted.

"Do you want to live until you're old or not?"

Joel sighed. "Engineering. There's an escape hatch in that room." He reluctantly held out his arm. Mae grabbed it and jumped into the shadows.

They crashed into the sweltering hot boiler room. Lucky for Joel, he never shed a single drop of sweat in his life, just one more advantage of being a fire user.

They walked into the back of the engine room where a group of twenty demigods stood. Some carried weapons and the others huddled behind them for protection. Jim and Zach pulled on the wheel that held that hatch in place. Joel pushed through the crowd and took over Jim's job. Together, the two strong Bounty Hunters opened the hatch revealing a nearly set sun on the horizon. The water was a small drop of ten feet from the hatch. The Bounty Hunters ushered the slaves through the hatch one at a time.

"Is that everyone?" asked Mae.

Zach shook his head. "Eric and Tyler were getting a few more when we got these guys here. They should be here soon."

Mae nodded. Libintia was helping them out but there were over forty slaves on the ship. They wouldn't be able to rescue all of them in time but half was better than nothing.

"Jim, get in the water and start swimming to shore," said Mae. "Make sure the others don't drown." Jim nodded and jumped into the water below. "You guys should go too," she said to Zach and Joel. "I'll wait for the others."

"Yeah I don't think so," said Zach. "I'm not leaving you here with a whole ship filled with monsters and trained demigods."

"Zach, if I can call up a hoard of crows I think I can take care of myself," she said and pointed through the hatch. "Now get going. Jim's not going to wait around forever." They both nodded and jumped into the water. Sid saluted her before jumping into the water as well.

Mae stood by the hatch and waited and waited.

The group of slaves had already made half way to the coast when finally a loud thud sounded in the room. Mae jumped behind a large engine and hid from sight. She could hear the thumping and the short grunts of a few people.

"Down on your knees!" said a person.

Mae tiptoed to a better vantage point so she could see who she was up against.

Three monsters were in the room along with another demigod. Two were dracaenae and one was a Lastrygonian giant. Two demigods were on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Spear points at their throats.

"I know you're in here, Mae," said an armed demigod. "I didn't see you jump with the others. I'll give you one chance to save your friends' lives. If you don't give yourself up within the next five seconds they go to Hades."

Mae saw who the demigods were, Eric and Tyler. Both bruised up a bit. The demigod took out his knife and held it up to Tyler's throat.

"One."

Mae couldn't think clearly.

"Two."

She had to do something.

"Three."

She could call the crows but the demigod probably already knew that and planned to kill them right away as soon as the crows entered the room.

"Four."

A humming sounded in the distance. A swarm of something was getting closer.

"Five."

Mae shut her eyes.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the cliffy ending but with that I hope to receive some pretty awesome reviews for you guys. <strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**Today is a joyous day, people. I just had my last day of school (happy dance) now for the dreaded exams which hopefully don't live up to their dreadful-ness.**

**Anyway, I thought I would post this chapter on this special occasion. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own PJO. What gave you that impression?**

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><p>Chapter Seventeen<p>

A swarm of yellow and black insects flew through the hatch and started to attack the Greeks. The knife was pulled away from Tyler's neck as it was used to defend against the mad swarm of Africanized Killer bees. Tyler jumped up and grabbed Eric's arm pulling him towards the hatch before the bees disappeared. Mae came out from behind her hiding spot and jumped with Tyler and Eric into the cold water below.

The ocean water was a huge shock to Mae. Her body froze up; her lungs constricted the air flow. She couldn't swim forward. Slowly she sunk beneath the surface struggling to get back up.

Jim came to her rescue and pulled her up to the surface. She gasped and clutched onto Jim's arm like a life line.

"Y-you sw-swim fast-t," she chattered.

"I may not be a child of Neptune but I am blessed with some useful powers," he said and started to swim to the coast with one arm.

Tyler and Eric swam along slowly shivering and sniffling as they went.

It took them twenty minutes to swim to the coast. By that time every little bit of warmth was sucked out of Mae's body. Jim pushed her onto the shore and helped up Eric and Tyler. The four of them collapsed onto the shore breathing heavily and shaking uncontrollably. Except Jim, he wasn't wet at all but the cold temperature of the water still affected him a bit.

"We should get a move on," said Jim. "Luke will send out search parties soon."

Mae nodded and grudgingly stood up. Her clothes clung to her like a second skin. She had to get into some warm clothes or hypothermia would set in within the hour. She would not die now. Not when she just got her freedom back.

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><p>The long walk didn't warm Mae up like she hoped it would. The warmth was quickly sucked up into her damp clothes leaving her colder than before. There was still some tingling in the tips of her fingers so she wasn't going into hypothermic shock yet.<p>

She fell back to Tyler who wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to warm himself. "Was that you who called the bees?" she asked quietly.

He nodded.

"Who's your godly parent?"

He shrugged. "Never knew."

"Never?" she asked. Tyler nodded. "Have you ever done that kind of thing before?"

He nodded again. "When the r-raiders captured me I t-tried to escape but they h-h-hit me. I lost c-consciousness."

"Are you able to call up other animals?" Mae asked with a new found sense of curiosity. The topic of Tyler's godly parent never came up for discussion. He was never open to talking much about it until tonight. Maybe finally being free opened him up.

He shrugged. "I never t-tried."

"I bet your parent is part of the earth realm."

He said nothing but Mae swore she saw the tinniest trace of a smile.

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><p>Mae and the others finally caught up with the larger group of demigods. They were waiting huddled on the edge of the path, shivering and speaking in hushed tones.<p>

Joel walked up to Mae and raised his hands in question. "Where do we go from here? We got nowhere to hide and Luke's men could be coming to get us anytime soon."

Mae's shoulders sagged. They were so close to being free forever she could taste it. "Can anyone here whistle really loudly?"

A hand rose up from the crowd. The person stood up and came over to Mae. "How loud do you want me to whistle?" he asked.

"As loud as you can." He nodded and put his fingers up to his mouth. His whistle was ear piercing.

It echoed. Mae waited, and waited, and waited. A single pair of wings flew overhead.

_You called, milady, _the crow spoke to her overhead.

_You said you knew of good hiding places a few months ago, know any good ones around here, _she thought.

_I certainly do. Keep up with me,_ it crowed and flew off into the forest.

"Follow me, everybody," she said and ducked into the forest.

The demigods jumped to their feet and followed Mae into the forest.

* * *

><p>Mae kept her eyes on the darkening sky squinting to see the flying form of Jerry the crow. Why Jerry?... Mae was bored.<p>

She weaved through the trees trying not to lose sight of Jerry. "Could you at least squawk or fly lower or something so I don't lose sight of you?" She sighed. "And now you're making me look crazy by talking out loud."

Jerry got the message and swooped down to rest on a high branch. He squawked and waited for Mae to walk up to the tree.

"How far do we have to go yet?" she asked.

_There's a cave a few yards that way, _he said and pointed his beak towards the cave. _Camp Half Blood is at least a mile or two north of here._

"Thanks for your help, Jerry," she said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

_Next time we meet you better have something dead on you. _

"I'll be sure to remember that." Jerry squawked with pleasure and took off into the night.

Mae walked up a few yards forward before she saw the vine covered whole. She ripped off the vines and slid into cave. The others soon followed.

Joel lit his hands to see the cave. It was low but had enough room for everyone to sleep in. The demigods were weary and chilled to the bone. Some were going into hypothermic shock. He took it upon himself to warm everyone up. He touched everyone with just warm hands and dried up what water he could from the soaked clothes.

The rest of the Bounty Hunters fell into routine. Sid and Jim started to look around for anything edible in this forest. Zach and Eric looked around for dry wood to start a small fire in the cave. It was going to get cold tonight and no one was in the mood to discover a cold, dead body in the morning.

Mae counted the heads in the cave excluding the Bounty Hunters, Tyler, and herself. Twenty three. Twenty three slaves out of forty five on the Andromeda. It was a dent in Luke's plans to use Romans as soldiers but no doubt he would buy even more but for now this would slow him down.

Wood was collected and what food was found was handed out. Mae gave up her ration to one of the other slaves who was a lot thinner than she was. Mae could last a day without food. She's done it before.

Joel started the fire and kept an eye on it throughout the night. They would have to take turns staying up throughout the night to keep watch for Luke's men. With a group of demigods this large their scent must be stronger than a perfume store on cleaning day. Mae could only pray some god or goddess out there would mask their scent long enough to reach the protected boarders of Camp Half Blood.

Mae curled up by the fire watching the flames flicker and spark. Joel poked the fire with a twig taking first watch. She couldn't believe it but she was free. After seven long years she was free.

* * *

><p>Mae was roughly shaken awake. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times to focus. She sat up slowly and stretched feeling the knots in her back after sleeping on jagged stones for a couple of hours. Zach was standing over her.<p>

"Gotta get moving," he said.

Mae nodded and yawned. That swimming last night really drained her but still she stood and climbed out of the small cave with the others. It took her a few minutes to get her bearings straight but once she figured out where north was the demigods continued on their quest to Camp Half Blood.

The sun started rise and poke through the gaps of the leaves overhead. It was chilly out this morning. A layer of frost covered the ground making the fallen leaves crunch and snap beneath Mae's feet. She wrapped her arms around her and followed the feeling in her gut towards Camp Half Blood.

It was quiet out this morning. The few birds that didn't fly further south still chirped to one another finding the last bits of useful food to carry back to their burrows. Small rodents bounded through the forage covering the ground and scampered up the trees as soon as they heard a human's footsteps. Mae didn't hear anything remotely human. No _fwooshing _of planes taking off, no honking of angry drivers trying to get to work, no smoke stacks pumping out massive amount of carbon dioxide sure to make any nature spirit commit suicide at the sight of it, and no large ships in sight. Everything was perfect.

* * *

><p>It took them a full hour's walk to finally reach the ruins of the Wolf House, the entrance to camp. Blame the length of time on the hunger, exhaustion, and chilled bones.<p>

A feeling of absolutely happiness was building up in Mae's stomach. Her hands shook as she pushed herself up the last little bit of the short steep hill to the base of the Wolf House. To any demigod, this was their home away from home. A safe haven from monsters. A place where friendships are made and skills are learned.

Mae ran up to the stone walls and placed her hands on them, smiling as she felt the power of the magic boarder still flowing through them, protecting them after all these centuries.

She was about to walk in through the doorway when two large gray wolves trotted out of the doorway, teeth barred and hair on end. They barked at Mae lunging at times to make her back away. They were guards for the camp making sure no one but Roman demigods and sometimes gods and goddesses were the only ones to come in. Mae didn't back down. She stood there and smirked not feeling afraid even though any other would have turned and ran. Instead she walked right up to the wolves and stood between them letting them sniff her legs and catch the demigod scent. One growled lowly and the other turned and howled.

The other demigods collapsed on the top of the hill completely exhausted from lack of sleep, food, and water. The wolves pricked up their ears but didn't growl at them.

A few minutes later another wolf appeared. This one was larger than the others and was also a female. It was the she-wolf, Lupa, Camp Half Blood's director. Mae watched the she-wolf's eyes as they darted amongst the demigods, some of them former campers whom she hasn't seen in years. She focused on Mae and sat down on her hind legs. The wolf seemed to smile.

"Welcome back to Camp Half Blood, daughter of Libintia," Lupa said.

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><p><strong>So I will leave you with that probably until Saturday, after my math exam. As tomorrow I am busy, and Thursday I am celebrating and Friday I'm dismantling my math binder. Hallelujah.<strong>


	18. Chapter 18

**As I promised a new chapter on Saturday. Now I may need to warn you that the next few chapters are a bit rushed only because they were sooo boring for me to write and I had no enthusiasm to write them. But I had to... unfortunately. So here you go, what I envision the Roman Camp to be like.**

**Disclaimer: I really hate doing these. I don't own anything.**

**Special thanks goes out to Gard and genie4ever13 who both reviewed my story. Have a cookie.  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter Eighteen<p>

There's a reason why the Roman Camp Half Blood's motto is the strong survive and the weak perish. When you live a Roman's life you see it as a constant battle against monsters trying to kill you and raiders trying to enslave you there is no room for the weak in this world. The weak will die within a matter of days of learning who they are. But death is considered a gift to the weak ones.

The Greeks are more peaceful and artistic compared to their Roman counterparts. I guess you could say they are more accepting than the Romans but Lupa only turns away those who will not survive in their world. It's merciful that she does this or those weak demigods will have a harsh time trying to survive.

Unlike the Greek camp, the Romans have more than twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. The twelve Olympians are a given. Pluto's cabin was built when the first child of Pluto arrived at the camp a few decades ago. Other cabins were built adding onto the weird assortment of cabins. Trivia goddess of magic has her own cabin, Iris goddess of rainbows, Mors god of death all have their own cabin along with many more. Libintia has her own cabin as well but has been abandoned for many years. Since the disappearance of three children of Libintia a curse has seemed to take hold on the cabin. No one dares entering it anymore.

Each cabin also has their own altar dedicated to that cabin's god or goddess. It's located in front of the cabin so that anyone passing by may throw in an offering for anything specific. The Romans respect all immortals and show how much they appreciate them if they have blessed the camp in anyway or if they just want to say 'dude, you are totally awesome, here you go' they just toss in a golden drachma or a piece of jewellery. Libintia's altar was dedicated to when there was a death in the camp. There was always a drachma or a ring lying on it.

Mae and the other demigods walked down the hill beside some of the wolves. Zach had to stay behind at the Wolf House to be properly examined. This is the first time he's ever been to Camp Half Blood and no one can stay in the camp unless if they can prove themselves to tough enough to survive the rigorous training regime. If he was accepted he would be branded on his forearm with the letters SPQR which stands for 'The Senate and the People of Rome' or in Latin, _Senatus Populusgye Romanus. _Above that would be placed the symbol of his godly parent. In Zach's case it would take the shape of the Helm of Darkness. Mae knew he would make it for sure. He was trained as a Bounty Hunter and was raised in the Living Underworld when he first knew what he was. He was already tough he just had to show it.

Nothing has changed in the seven years Mae was gone. It looked exactly the same except for two new cabins added to the cluster. The Coliseum was still the same breath taking building. The archery fields were well groomed as always. The armoury was as organized and pristine as when she last saw it. And the dining hall was the same, orderly and neat. The stable was filled with the whinnying and stomping of pegasai. Everything was the same as if she never left.

They walked to the cabins, exhausted. They split up into their rightful cabins and settled into their new lives. Mae ran to her mother's cabin and burst through the black door.

A thick layer of undisturbed dust was settled on everything in the room. Mae left footprints as she walked throughout the room. The dark red sheets were turned down from the bunk beds in the room and the black walls were filled with cobwebs. It felt so cold in the cabin. It hasn't been lived in for years, which was odd to Mae. By now her older sister, Teresa, would be fifteen and should be still living here unless if she was taken by the raiders as well. Mae shook her head. She just got here and already she's thinking depressing thoughts. Today she would enjoy herself. Today she was finally free.

Mae walked through the room looking at the stuff on the walls. Pictures from past family outings, souvenirs from quests, and there's that picture Mae drew of Jason slaying the gorgon Stheno. Boy was she was bad artist. She coloured outside the lines she drew and the lines weren't that straight either but Jason was proud of her despite her awful piece of work. How she missed Jason and all her brothers and sisters for the matter.

She took a picture off from the wall and sat down on the nearest bed to examine it. It was a picture of her whole family. The day they all were at camp for the first time. Mae was five at the time, the starting age for claimed demigods. At age two, claimed demigods were brought before Lupa by their mortal parents to be assessed. If Lupa saw that they had a fighting spirit in them, they were allowed to come back at age five and start training. If not, then they were left to fend for themselves in the mortal world.

Her oldest brother Jason was probably twenty at the time when she first started camp. That would be his last year at camp before leaving and starting up a somewhat regular life in the mortal world. He would still be coming during the summers but only for short visits.

Mae looked over all the faces of people she knew, so full of hope and promise. All of those lives destroyed. And then there was Chris. He was thirteen in that picture. Oh how she missed him.

She wiped a tear away from her face and posted the picture back on the wall. There was another picture that caught her eye. It was a picture of her and her father, Vasily Admiral. He was from Russia but changed his last name so no one would grow suspicious of him, but that was back during the Cold War so of course some people are going to be a little paranoid if they knew he was Russian. Mae was sitting on his lap in the picture. They were reading from a book. A well-read book, Philos and the Guardian. She wished she still had a copy of that book then maybe her dreams would finally make sense. They were always the same. It was either the dream when her father is reading to her or she was actually part of the story. It never made any sense. But in a demigod's life nothing ever does.

She quickly scanned over the rest of the pictures. There's the time when John raised his first soldier of the un-dead (or a zombie, whatever you prefer). That's when Madeleine killed her first monster and that's the time when the twins returned on their first successful quest to capture an escaped soul and return it to the Underworld. Oh such joyous times.

Mae looked throughout the rest of the room for anything else. Everything seemed to be emptied. The dressers, the shelves, the chests stuffed under the beds. The only thing she could find was a long case stuck under one of the beds against the wall. She pulled it out and dusted it off. It was a long wooden box, finely crafted and polished but over the years some of the shine has faded. She pulled off the clasp holding it together and pushed back the lid. A three foot sword laid inside made from Stygian Iron. Engraved into the handle was the name _Mors Nun _or Death Seeker in English. It was Chris' sword. They probably found his body the next day and stored away his sword.

She picked it up gingerly and looked at it more closely. There was a saying on the blade _Postea eos aspergat aqua partem__, _Until death do us part. Yep, definitely Chris' sword. He said he would never part with his sword until he died. And to think he only had this for two years before his untimely death. She took out the sheath from the bottom of the case and slid the sword inside. She attached it to her belt enjoying the feel of a weapon on her side once again. Feeling fully satisfied, she walked out of the cabin to look around the camp.

* * *

><p>Some of the campers were going for a short run around the camp, just a twelve mile run no biggie. Others were gearing up for a training session at the Coliseum and others were heading off for archery. The twenty-three slaves who arrived today were standing around unsure of what to do. Some were still getting used to this new place after being enslaved for so long. They broke off into smaller groups to walk around the camp. She didn't see Tyler anywhere and wanted to know how he was doing here.<p>

She walked over to what was known as the 'Loner Cabin' by the campers. This is where the few unclaimed demigods stayed and the ones who didn't have cabins stayed as well. To have a cabin built there had to be more than one demigod belonging to a godly parent. If everyone got their own cabin and only one person stayed in that cabin it took up too much room so they were placed in the large cabin at the end of the row, and that was the Loner Cabin.

Tyler was sitting on the front wooden porch in front of the cabin door. He was staring at the ground acting just like when they first met, quiet and awkward.

Mae walked towards him. She wasn't aware of the footsteps behind her. She expected it to be one of the runners until she was tackled to the ground and did a face plant in the grass. She was going to tell the person off until she saw the face of that person. It was Ben, that golden-haired boy she helped free.

She shrieked in joy and rolled on top of her friend hugging him back. "I can't believe you actually got out!" she said.

"I can't believe YOU got out," he said and sat up, cross-legged.

She sat up as well. "Yeah, after five months I finally get out, and not the easy way either. How's it been going for you?"

He shrugged. "I've got my own cabin even though I'm the only son of Mithras. I think it's mostly honorary that they gave me my own cabin but hey at least I'm not with the Loners."

"Don't mock the Loners. They have a freaking awesome cabin."

"I'm not trying to mock the Loners."

"Sounds like it."

"Well I wasn't trying to. So, you up for some sword fighting?"

Mae smiled but shook her head. "I have some things to do before I start training. But you go on ahead. Don't wait up for me."

Ben shrugged and jumped up. "Suit yourself." He ran off towards the Coliseum. Mae stood up as well and continued to walk over to Tyler. She put a hand on his shoulder and sat down. He flinched under her touch but that was normal. He pointed towards Ben asking the silent question of who he was.

"That's Ben," she said. "An old friend of mine." Tyler nodded satisfied with the answer. "So how do you like the cabin?"

"Good," he said and nodded. "L-lots of p-people th-though." His stutter seemed to worsen.

"They're nice people, though," she said. "You shouldn't be afraid of them."

"Not afraid," he mumbled. "D-don't like l-lots of people."

"Well you're going to have to get used to the people. There are lots of people at camp." He sighed and looked down at his hands. "Besides this is going to much better than the Andromeda."

He smirked and looked at her. "No crazy Luke."

"Exactly," she said and smiled. "No crazy Luke."

* * *

><p>Mae spent the rest of the day wandering around the camp getting reacquainted with people she once knew and getting used to the camp. She saw some wolves walking around the camp in pairs as they always did making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to do. None of the wolves bothered her or the others that arrived at camp a few hours ago. Lupa didn't want to stress out the demigods just yet. She wanted them to settle down before training them. Stressed demigods were unfocused and scared. She didn't need that right now.<p>

Mae walked throughout the cabins seeing the new one that was being built. It was cabin for the god of sleep, Somnus. Those children would be interesting to see in a fight. She couldn't wait to see what kind of skills they brought to the camp.

Dinner came at the same time as always, six o'clock. The campers were handed out their rations by the fauns and nymphs that lived in the camp. Mae sat down at her table after tossing some food in the large fire pit they had in the center of the room. She sat alone, and slowly ate her meal. She looked around at the faces. She could easily pick out the slaves she freed versus the campers. The ex-slaves were quiet trying to get used to camp after being gone for so long. She saw Eric sitting on the edge of the Loner table beside Jim. Of course there was no table for Rivultas so he had to be part of the Loners. Jim was talking to a camp beside him. He had no problems fitting in.

She looked over towards the Pluto table. Zach wasn't there yet but a young girl was. Despite they had the same father Mae could see similar features between the girl and Zach. She would have to ask Zach later once he came in from the assessment.

Lupa bounded into the dining hall and took her place at the front where all the demigods could see her. She sat and waited for everyone to stop talking and rise at attention. They all did and looked forward at her.

"Today, campers," she said, "new demigods have arrived at camp this morning. Thirty new warriors have arrived and we should make them feel at home here. We should praise the gods that they have blessed us by returning these fine soldiers. To the gods!"

The demigods repeated the chant and sat down to continue to eat.

* * *

><p>When dinner was over, the demigods moved towards amphitheater where a fire would be held before the demigods headed off to bed. At the Greek camp sing-a-longs would take place and same goes for the Romans. It may not be their style but Lupa allows the camp fire to be a fun and relaxing time for the campers. It relieves stress for many and reminds them that there is still some good in the world.<p>

Mae enjoyed herself greatly during the fire. She hasn't been this happy in years. Even if she didn't know the words to the songs she clapped along with the others. Tyler didn't sing or clap but he smiled once in a while during the songs. He would change soon, she hoped. It would take a while but those walls he built around himself would soon come crumbling down.

* * *

><p>With the camp fire finished and curfew just a few minutes away, the campers slowly drifted off to their cabins for the night. Mae walked over to hers admiring the sight of the stars overhead. Some glowed brighter than others. A new constellation maybe, in the shape off a huntress making her way across the sky. Such a beautiful sight.<p>

She looked over at the cabins resting her eyes on the Pluto cabin. Zach was finally back from assessment. It only took all day for him to arrive. The young Pluto girl stepped up behind him. Zach turned looking at the girl before him. He said something and looked her over. They hugged tightly. _Brother and sister, _Mae thought. Mae smiled and stepped into her cabin.

She flicked on the light switch and shut the door firmly behind her. She took off her sword and laid it in the case. She took off her long sleeved shirt leaving herself in a tank top. It's been a while since she's cut herself on her arm but being back in camp in this safe environment she wouldn't have to cut the brand anymore.

She peeled off the bandage preparing herself for sight of the mutilated skin. She dropped the bandage on the ground and ran her hand over where her brand should be. To her surprise, Mae found nothing. No scars, no brand, only flawless skin.

Dumbfounded, Mae looked around for a sharp object other than her sword. One touch of the Stygian iron and her soul would be severed from her body. Instead she found the protruding edge of a nail. She dug her wrist onto the nail wincing and grimacing from the pain.

Finally she felt the blood drip down her arm. She pulled away and stood under the cabin's light. She licked her fingers to clear away the blood from the cut. Slowly the cut stopped bleeding. A scab formed and slowly disappeared forming a line of new pink skin. A white scar formed but even that faded and disappeared completely.

Mae rubbed her hand over where a cut should be but instead it was completely healed. She sat down on her bed unsure of what to think about.

* * *

><p>The Fates were done. Their creation took shape and was no longer under their control. She was free to make her own choices now and no longer followed the rules of life. They set it and watched it as it took over is own path. They could no longer interfere with their creation's life.<p>

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><p><strong>Ta-da another chapter complete for you guys. I hope you enjoyed. Believe me it's a very rushed chapter. And finally my characters' lives get better... or do they?<strong>

**R&R please!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Let's put it this way... I hate English exams... goodness gracious it took me a full 2 hours to complete it and still over half my class was in the room when I left. Phew! thank goodness that's over... So here we go... another very boring chapter. Believe me it's boring... I promise they will get better but first some fluff stuff.. blegh**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, as much as I hate it.**

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><p>Chapter Nineteen<p>

Mae continued to sit on her bed throughout the night. She kept staring at her arm waiting for it start bleeding again like it should be doing but it never did. She cut herself on her other arm a few hours later but the same thing happened again. After a while sleep overtook her and she fell down on her bed completely drained of energy.

Her dream was different this time. Instead of Philos it was the one with the old grannies knitting the giant pair of socks. But the whole dream changed. The grannies left the giant basket filled with electric blue yarn on the ground and left the pair of socks alone on the rocking chairs. The strings weren't cut but slowly the yarn weaved itself together, adding on to the many rows of yarn.

A conch horn sounded. Mae opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She sat up and pulled on her long sleeved shirt. A new pair of clothes would be nice. She would have to go to the supply store later and see if she could get a new pair of clothes and some proper shoes would be nice. She kicked off the green flip flops of oppression and walked to the dining hall for breakfast.

Once again she sat down at her table, alone with her plate filled with the usual breakfast food, eggs, bacon, and toast. The fire was lit in the giant pit they had in the center of the hall. Campers started walking up to it and scraping in the food for the gods. Mae went up after most of the crowd went back to their seats. She stood up and tossed some of the food into the fire. She gave a silent thanks to Libintia for protecting them all the way to camp. And to think she used to resent her mother for abandoning her. She was still a little angry with the gods for not giving a damn towards their kids but Mae had a feeling that was going to change very soon.

With breakfast finished the demigods made their way to the cabins to get ready for training. Mae walked to the supply store where camp provision were stored and given out to new campers. A faun was there munching on a tin can reading a nature magazine labeled the Faun Weekly. Its head title was 'The Lost God Faunus Has Been Heard'. So they were still looking for him after all these years.

Mae dinged the bell on the front desk. The faun, without looking, slipped Mae a piece of paper and a pencil.

"Fill it out, give it back, I'll get your stuff," he said and flipped the page in the magazine.

Mae looked at the piece of paper and started to fill it out. The questions mostly asked what you needed and what your size was. Mae guessed for that part but other than that she did alright for the questions. She slid the paper back to the faun who took it and read over it quickly. He disappeared into a back room and returned a few minutes later with a stack of clean clothes and a pair of running shoes.

"Thanks," she said and picked up the stack of clothes. The faun said nothing and sat down into his chair and put his hooves on the desk. He picked up the magazine and started to read once again.

Mae ran to her cabin and shut the door. She stripped off her dirty clothes and changed into the camp clothes which was a pair of shorts and purple Camp Half Blood t-shirt. She attached her sword to her waist and walked towards the Loner Cabin.

It was one of the largest cabins in the camp. On a regular basis it houses from twenty to thirty demigods all of different parentage. All are children of minor gods and goddesses so the cabin is richly decorated with different artifacts obtaining to those different parentages. It's also the one cabin where no one will be punished if they are found in there even if they don't live in that cabin. In summary: it's a slack place to chill and relax.

Mae stepped through the door and looked around the room. Some of the rescued slaves were here and seemed at peace and happy. Most were talking with other campers. All of them seemed happy but Tyler. He was sitting on the lower bunk staring at nothing. She walked over and sat down beside him.

"Why so glum… chum?" she asked. He gave her a weird look in return. "What, I felt like I could rhyme. If you don't like my rhymes then don't listen but I think I can be pretty poetic." He laughed silently and smiled. "Thanks for the support," she said sarcastically. "So, ready for today's training?"

"No," he said and the smile disappeared.

After being his friend for many months, Mae knew he would be more open to talking if they were alone. "Come on, Ty," she said and pulled him off the bed with her. "Let's go talk outside." He nodded and followed her out of the cabin.

They walked past the cabins and towards the edge of the forest. Campers were still getting ready for training at nine so they had some time to talk.

"What's going on," she asked, concerned. "Are you not happy here?"

He shrugged and looked up into the trees taking in a deep breath before he answered. "I want to g-go home."

"Camp Half Blood is home for people like us. It's the only safe place."

Tyler shook his head. "My real home. W-with my dad."

"Oh, your REAL home. Where's that?"

"On a f-farm in North Dakota."

"Don't you like it here?"

He shrugged and placed his hand on the tree. "No, I like it. J-just want to s-see my dad."

"Oh," she said and looked down at her new shoes. "Well maybe we can talk to Lupa later and ask her permission to leave camp for a few weeks or something."

Tyler looked over at her; a new found spark was in his eyes. "R-really?"

"Yeah, really. I haven't seen my family in a long time too and I need some time to… to find some answers. Since she loved my brothers I'm sure she'll allow it. And if she doesn't well then I can always shadow travel us out of here."

Tyler nodded liking the plan already.

"So, shall we go get ready for training?" she asked and started walking back towards the Loner Cabin. Tyler nodded and followed her back to the cabin.

* * *

><p>Training started out a little like this. First it was the twelve mile run around the camp. That was okay since being a slave made Mae so fit. She walked it off for a bit regaining her breath before heading off to the worst form of torture of all, archery.<p>

Archery was led by one of the Apollo campers. Just like his father, he had radiant blonde hair, shining blue eyes, and a perfect smile that could seriously do some damage to the eyes. Most of the girls would fall for a guy like this but Mae wasn't one of those girls. She hated archery and she hated the preppy boys who can be so happy about anything.

The Apollo camper stepped behind Mae placing his arms around her to show her how to 'properly draw back the string' as he said it. She looked over at Eric. He had a smirk plastered on his face but said nothing. Annoyed, she fired the arrow without warning and shook off the Apollo camper. She drew another arrow and set it on the string. She glared at the teen and ignored his help. He backed away to help some other unfortunate soul. She fired again this time completely missing her mark.

The next activity was aerial combat on pegasai. Mae hasn't been on a pegasus in so long so it was understandable that she was intimidated by this thousand pound monster with wings. The last Pegasus Mae dealt with clobbered Tyler on the head and gave her some serious rope burns on her hands. She wasn't too keen to get on the beast. And she wasn't too keen when one of the Iris campers shoved her onto the horse. And she certainly wasn't too keen when the pegasus broke into a gallop and started to lift itself off the ground. Soon Mae was clinging to the neck of her mount staring wide eyed down at the camp below.

The pegasus circled the camp stretching out its wings not caring about the small girl on its back. Slowly Mae found the courage to sit up straight and release her death grip on the animal's neck. She looked down at the camp picking out every detail. The cabin area, the dining hall, the camp fire, the archery fields, the Coliseum, several wolves walking around, the ruins of the Wolf House, the stables, the armory with smoke puffing out cheerfully from its smoke stacks, and the deep woods below her. The camp went about its normal routine and everything once again was as it should be.

After the brief ride, Mae urged the pegasus to land. It obeyed and made a smooth landing and trotted back to the stables. She slipped off the animal's back and crashed onto the ground.

"Ground," she said. "I would kiss you if you weren't so dirty and filled with bugs."

"Now that wasn't so bad now was it?" asked the instructor.

"No, it wasn't. It was worse." She sat up and looked up as a pegasus circled overhead. "I don't think aerial combat is meant for me but it's been a very long time since I've been on a Pegasus."

"Do you want to go again?"

"Nope, not at the moment. When I can feel my legs again I'll let you know I'm ready."

"Okay then, if you're ready I'll be in the stables." The instructor walked away leaving Mae on the ground staring up at the blue sky. The sun was no longer a harsh sphere in the sky. It was now a glowing ball of light that provided energy and hope for the world. It even felt warm on her skin. Not the burning sensation she's always felt, just the feeling like a warm sweater fresh from the clothes dryer. Life couldn't get any better.

After the session ended, Mae stood up a little wobbly and walked with the others to the Coliseum for sword training, Mae's time to shine.

The session started out with simple stretches to limber up everyone's muscles. That was good. Next everyone was split up into their appropriate skill categories, beginner, intermediate, and senior. Mae considered herself to be in the intermediate category since for the past few years she was a slave and the past few months she was training with inexperienced Greeks. She had a lot to learn.

The beginning exercises finished quickly and soon they were paired off. Mae was paired off with Tyler who had his usual smirk plastered on his face when they fought together.

They circled each other, swords at the ready. "Do you have a death wish, Tyler?" she asked calmly and let her eyes glow a little bit redder.

"No," he said and grazed his sword against hers. "But y-you do."

He brought down his sword against hers, hard. Mae stepped back to counter and went on the defensive until Tyler tired himself out playing on the offense.

She sidestepped and blocked his attack. She twisted her wrist and pushed his sword upwards. Mae went for his side but he recovered quickly and blocked. They switched positions and soon Mae was pushing Tyler further and further back in the circular arena. He tried everything to get Mae to back off but she was relentless as was she was taught to be. He got one last lucky shot in and swiped Mae's cheek. She broke off, distracted and cupped her cheek with her hand. Tyler lowered his sword and went over to Mae.

"I'm s-s-sorry," he stammered. "I, I, I d-didn't mean t-"

"No, it's okay, Ty, I'm fine," she said and wiped the blood away from her cheek knowing the cut had healed itself. "See, I'm fine." She showed him his face to prove that she wasn't hurt. "See, no blood, no cut."

Tyler sighed and traced her cheek lightly to let him know that she was okay. He nodded and picked up his fallen sword. He stared at the floor. "I'm sorry," he said, barely audible.

"It's not your fault and you need to stop being so apologetic. Life's going to full of blood and scars and you know that. I can take care of myself. I don't need any more big brothers taking care of me but I thank you for the thought."

He smiled and nodded. He jerked his head back to open area of the arena and lifted his sword. Mae laughed and brought up hers as well. She ran back out into the arena and watched as Tyler sauntered over, smiling like the big jerk he is.

The first full day of training ended well for Mae. It was harder and more disciplined than the style she was used to on the Andromeda. Luke would be considered a beginner or an intermediate at best if he ever trained here.

Mae took a quick shower before the line got too long with the Venus campers coming in. They weren't as make-up and hair conscience as the Aphrodite campers were. Where they gossiped and did nothing during the training sessions and mock battles, the Venus campers were in all aspects Romans. They used their bodies as a distraction and they knew how to fight well. Lupa took no crap from the Venus kids. If you slack off you're fed to the wolves.

She braided her wet hair and ran off to her cabin. She quickly dressed into a pair of none sweaty clothes and flopped down on her bed. She thought about the best way to ask Lupa if she could leave camp for a week or two. Mae prayed to Libintia asking her to help her out with this one problem. Now she could only wait until after dinner to ask Lupa.

At dinner Mae looked over at Tyler. He's significantly improved since leaving the ship. His stutter wasn't as bad anymore but he may live with it forever with it reoccurring during stressful situations. But in time it would disappear. She watched him at the table. Conversations were going on around him and some of them seemed to amuse him. One of the campers beside him talked to him. He started to talk, probably stuttering but for once he was striking up a conversation. At least he's getting to know more people than just Mae.

With the meal finished the campers slowly drifted off to their cabins to get ready for bed or do something else until the fire started. Mae went over to the she-wolf and bowed respectively.

"My Lady," she said.

"Is there something wrong, daughter of Libintia?" she asked.

Mae rose and shook her head. "I have a request to ask of you."

"And what might that be?"

"I was wondering since I just came here and don't know much about anything anymore, I was wondering if I could possibly leave camp for a week or two and travel."

Lupa sighed and stood up walking out of the dining hall. "Walk with me, soldier. We have much to talk about." Mae obeyed and followed her out of the dining hall and onto the grass. "I do not approve of this request. Times are becoming increasingly difficult to protect the camp. Word has reached camp that Kronos is rising and raising an army to march upon the gods."

"Is that so?" Mae said already knowing all of this.

"Raiders are capturing more of my campers. Five of them went missing last week. At this rate our numbers will be decimated severely."

"So you're saying?"

"I'm saying that it would be better if you stayed here and trained more before I let you go. But I know you will only ask me again tomorrow."

"So, you'll let me go?"

"I know you will take care of yourself but I would prefer if you took someone with you. It's too dangerous to let demigods go out of camp in singles. And no more than two weeks, daughter of Libintia, I have much to teach you."

Mae bowed respectively on one knee. She thanked her leader and ran off towards the cabins to find Tyler and leave within the hour. She found him where he usually was, on his bed staring at the far wall. She sat down beside him and smiled.

"Lupa agreed to let us go," she said. "We can leave tonight and get a good head start on getting to North Dakota."

"Tonight?" he asked and looked over at her.

"Yes, tonight, now let's get a move on." Mae tugged him off the bed and outside the cabin. She pulled him towards the Wolf House but he pulled her to the stables.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "You're going the wrong way."

"No, we fly, goes faster."

"No, not the pegasus, please not the pegasus," she begged but Tyler picked her up and slung her over his shoulder giving Mae no opportunity to run away.

Once they were inside the stables, he dumped Mae on her back and prepared one of the animals and jumped onto its back. He offered his hand to Mae who took it and was pulled onto the animal behind him. Mae immediately wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly.

"I would like you to know before I die that I hate you," she said and closed her eyes.

Tyler only laughed and nudged the pegasus out of the barn and into the night sky.

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><p><strong>Boring I know but in a few chapters it will get better hopefully... You know what you need to do know? REVIEW! For the last time review before the fiends try to eat me again!<strong>


	20. Chapter 20

**First I have a few questions to answer before we get started**

**Dear genie4ever13: Yes I am a madwoman, (hehehe) just to give you some proof me and my friend have already planned that once we get admitted into the insane asylum that we will be roommates and that i get top bunk... no... questions... asked  
><strong>

**And to comment on this person's review that this person has left a while ago, yes, yes i am mean to Tyler but this is nothing compared to my other stories, believe me this is tame! for exampled: i tortured one of my characters ruthlessly. I swear if they were real they would try to kill me for making their lives so horrible (this is morbid Sue talking, she appears late at night when disgruntled by exams)**

**So that's all for now, i hope you enjoy this other fluff stuff chapter, a few more of these and i'd like to be done but this (i think) is necessary for the story**

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><p>Chapter Twenty<p>

It took a very long time for Mae to finally find the courage to open her eyes. She opened one, then the other, and then looked around. They were very far up. There was a city below them with lights as small as stars. The air whooshed past them making Mae press closer against Tyler's warm back.

"Scared?" Tyler asked over his shoulder.

"Scared of heights? No. Scared of falling to my death and going splat on the ground? Yes."

"I'll k-keep you safe."

"That's very comforting. Just keep your eyes on the... air." Tyler chuckled and turned his attention back to the Pegasus.

They rode throughout the night without stopping and by the early morning they were nearing their journey's end. Tyler pulled the pegasus down as it was tiring out and after flying this far didn't want to fall out of the sky because of a tired animal. It obeyed and gladly flew down to the ground. It landed softly along an empty stretch of a gravel road. Mae slid off and flopped onto the ground. Tyler smirked and dropped own lightly. He whispered a few words into its ears and stroked its neck. It shook its mane and walked beside him down the path. Mae stood up, brushed the gravel off her legs, and followed Tyler down the road.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"And hour away from my h-home," he said and patted the animal's neck.

"Why did you land?"

"She was tired."

"The pegasus was tired?"

"Yes."

"Does it talk to you or something?"

Tyler nodded and ran his fingers through her mane.

Mae looked around the flat land and saw pretty much nothing. Snow covered the grounds and fence posts marked out the boundaries of the vast fields on either side of the road. Nothing but farm land.

They walked at a fairly steady pace for an hour before coming up to a few farms dotted here and there. She could tell Tyler was getting excited. He quickened his pace a little bit and looked around at the familiar surroundings, smiling.

"Are we there yet?" Mae whined as she dragged her feet in the gravel. Going off of no sleep was hard. Even for demigods who don't get much sleep this was pushing it.

"Next house," he said and pointed to the nearest farm house on the right.

It was a two story farm house with some barns and other buildings in the back. Bare trees lined the laneway to the house. Mae shivered thankful that she wore her long sleeved shirt over her t-shirt and the fact the she no longer had to wear those hideous green flip flops.

Once he was close enough to the house, Tyler broke out into a flat out run. Mae jogged forward while the pegasus trotted beside her. She stopped beside him as he knocked on the door. Mae heard the _thump, thump, thump _of footsteps on the other side of the door drawing closer. The doorknob turned and the latch clicked open. A man stood there probably in his late thirties. Gray hair entwined itself within the black hair and the man was clean shaven. He looked up at the boy standing before him. It took him a while to finally recognize the teenager who was his son. Tyler's father pulled him into a fierce hug embracing his son after being apart for so many years.

After a minute or two of the embrace they pulled apart. Tyler wiped a tear away and his father's eyes were brimming full of emotion. He invited the two demigods into his house and out of the bitter cold. The pegasus stood there with her foot relaxed and her eyes half closed. She was too tired to go anywhere else.

Trevor Anderson, Tyler's father, poured the demigods some hot drinks to warm their chilled bones and sat down with them at the table in the small kitchen. He wringed his calloused work hands. "So," he said. "You know my son?"

Mae nodded and set down her mug of hot chocolate. "We were sold to the same master a few months back, sir." Getting out of the whole 'sir' phase was going to be a little hard. "I'll spare you the details, sir, but we escaped one night with a few other demigods. We made our way to the camp two days ago and we got permission to fly out last night."

Mr. Anderson looked at his son who still hasn't said a word since he came in. "Is there a reason why he's so quiet?" Thinking it was better to ask the girl since she was the more open one.

"He told me, or showed me, that he was abused by one of his masters for talking. Got pretty scarred up for it too. He's starting to talk again but he stutters every now and then and he doesn't speak in full sentences. Mostly fragments. But give him a day or two and he'll be better."

Mr. Anderson nodded and looked back at his son. He's grown so much since he's seen him. His mother always warned Mr. Anderson that being a powerful demigod would attract the raiders and monsters from far and wide. He understood the risks and took care of his son as well as he could. But that wasn't enough. Out here it's isolated and lonely. No one would hear the screams for help if the boy was off property. It was the one thing his father slipped up on. The one thing he's always regretted. Not watching his son every minute to make sure he's safe.

He looked his son in the eyes and spoke every word clearly. "I promise you that I will do everything I can to protect you." Tyler smiled and nodded taking in a deep breath before speaking.

"I missed you, dad."

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><p>After eating a little and finally feeling warm again, Mae asked if she could use their computer for moment. Mr. Anderson allowed it and pointed her in the right direction. Mae thanked the man and walked into the office. She sat down on the computer and typed into the search engine 'Vasily Admiral'. Several topics came up. She clicked through them scanning them through them real quickly but found no useful information. How sad it was to not even remember where her own house was. She typed in 'Jason Admiral'. A little more popped up than for her father, pictures and newspaper clippings. Looks like Jason had quite the reputation. She typed some more digging a little further. She scribbled something down on pad of paper and ripped it off, stuffing it into her pocket. She stood up and left the room preparing to leave the house and continue on her journey.<p>

She walked past the kitchen as quietly as she could and towards the front door. Tyler followed her and stopped her before she could leave.

"Leaving?" he asked.

Mae nodded. "I've go to get going and get back home but I'll Iris Message you in a few days and I'll be back here in a week or two so we can go back to camp. That's okay right?"

Tyler nodded. "Take care of yourself."

"You too." They hugged briefly before departing for the first time in many months. Mae's gotten so used to having Tyler around she wondered if she would be preoccupied by thinking about him the entire time wondering if he would be okay. She reminded herself that Tyler would be okay. He was strong and old enough to take care of himself. She convinced herself of that and left the house.

Mae mounted the pegasus who was napping lightly in the front. She mounted and gripped part of the mane. She urged the mare forward that trotted forward and then broke into a canter lifting up into the winter sky. It was going to be a very long time before Mae got to sleep. She didn't feel safe sleeping on this flying thing. She whispered into the mare's ear and told her where to fly since the pegasus probably had the better sense of direction than Mae did.

They flew for a few hours straight at a pretty fast pace. The sun rose steadily above them warming Mae up just a little bit but nothing could take away the air's icy sting. She pressed further down onto the pegasus' back to warm herself. Her eyes drooped and soon she couldn't help it but fall asleep.

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><p>By the time Mae awoke the sun was in the west signifying the afternoon. Mae stifled a shriek. She fell asleep a few thousand feet above the ground on a pegasus no less. And she survived! Mae took in deep breaths to calm herself. Oh how she hated travelling by pegasus.<p>

They flew over the city of Chicago and slowly the pegasus started to drift down. Mae directed her to the top of a very tall office building and landed so they wouldn't draw the attention the mortals down below. Mae thanked the pegasus for her services and told her to go back to camp. The pegasus blew through her nose and flew away.

Mae looked for a shadow to jump into. She saw one by the doorway that came up onto the top of the roof. She looked down at the city below and saw a deserted alleyway. That's where she wanted to go. She jumped into the shadow and stumbled into the alleyway that reeked of garbage and dead something. And she didn't want to know what the something might be.

Mae walked out onto the street trying to get her bearings straight. She had no clue where she was or where she was going so naturally she started walking forward. Mae's never been to Chicago before. She was raised in the country far from the city lights and noises. Was it fair to say that the big city scared Mae? No it's not. It absolutely terrified her. She was all alone for one thing, didn't know where to go, and she was a demigod that could attract a lot of monsters without warning. Yeah, this was going to get interesting. The only thing Mae could do was ask someone for help.

She tried a few times asking different people but most of them were in a hurry to get back home and out of the bitter cold. She tried one last time before giving up. The old lady directed her to where Mae wanted to go. Mae smiled politely and thanked the old woman for her help. Mae walked briskly off in the right direction hopefully to the right place.

She arrived at a cheerful little neighbourhood in no time at all. She took out the piece of paper she had in her pocket and looked at the address. She looked at the house numbers and continued to walk along the snow cleared sidewalk.

All the houses where cheerful and festive looking with Christmas lights and winter wonderlands planted on their front yards. The only house that wasn't in the holiday mood was the last one on the street. It was large and looked very cold compared to the other houses down this street. She stared at the number on the house and then the number scrawled down on the paper. They matched. Mae took in a deep breath before walking up to the house and knocking on the door.

She waited a moment before hearing the pitter patter of little feet coming from the other side of the door. The door opened and there before Mae stood a little blond girl probably five or six. She looked up at Mae just as the young girl's father appeared at the door.

"Julie," he said and picked the girl up in his arms. "You should never open the door by yourself." The man looked over at Mae. Mae stared back at him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Mae cocked her head and frowned. This man didn't look like her brother Jason at all. Jason had dark brown hair like hers, not blond like the man before her. But the eyes were the same. Mae's eyes drifted to the man's right bicep where she could see the scarred tissue that the sleeve of the t-shirt couldn't hide.

"Yes there is," Mae said. "I think you're my brother."

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><p><strong>Yes I know cliffy but I like it when my chapters end like that. It give me time to sleep! WHICH IS WHAT I NEED PEOPLE!<strong> **(that was normal Sue talking, morbid Sue has to put normal Sue to bed now good night until we meet again we would both like to see some reviewage and then you get cookies IT'S A WIN-WIN SCENARIO)**


	21. Chapter 21

**I seem to be at a very anti-climatic point in the story. I'm doing my best to get through this rubbish but it's vital for the story as a big explanation is coming up in the next chapter and other random crap thrown into the mix. Goodness, this is boring but luckily I see the end in sight within 3-4 chapters beyond chapter 24. K so maybe chapter 28 will have some good stuff but we shall see. Hope you enjoy this. **

**Warning: Very rushed**

**Disclaimer: I will never own PJO... isn't that a sad thought.**

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><p>Chapter Twenty-One<p>

The man smiled and set down his daughter. He spoke to her trying to keep his smile. "Why don't you go find your little brother and go play with him downstairs?" The little girl ran off towards a set of stairs that led to the basement. The man turned back to Mae. "Do I know you?"

Mae felt crushed. What if she got the wrong house? What if her brother wasn't alive? "Um, well, y-you see, sir, the thing is, um, well I can't really explain but, um, I'm you-I'm your s-sister." She couldn't get the words out right. Hopefully the man in front of her understood what she was trying to say.

The man looked Mae over and then looked directly into her eyes. He saw what convinced him. It was indeed his sister.

"Mae?" he asked in disbelief.

Relief swept over Mae. Jason finally did recognize her. She crashed into him and gave him a hug like she always did when he came home to visit her. Jason wrapped an arm around her and held her close.

When they broke apart Mae looked up at Jason. "Since when do you have blond hair?" she asked.

Jason sighed and looked at the floor, jaw clenched. "Since you left. Come on I have a lot to tell you."

Mae stepped into Jason's home and he closed the door behind her. She slipped off her shoes and looked around the house. Pictures lined the walls but none of their family. All of them were with his new family. A wife, three kids, a gorgeous house, Jason certainly had it made here.

"Need anything to drink or eat?" Jason asked coming from the kitchen. Mae followed his voice and stepped into the kitchen. Again it was as nice as the rest of the house with stainless steel appliances and a dark wood floor and matching cabinets.

"Something warm would be nice," she answered and sat down at the island in the kitchen.

Jason made quick work of making tea for Mae. He set down before her and leaned against the kitchen counter. "So," he said, unsure of what to ask after being seven years apart. "How's life?"

"Life is good." Mae blew the tea and took a sip. "How's life for you?"

"Also good." Awkward silence.

A woman stepped into the room carrying a small blonde boy probably three years old. She smiled at Jason and turned her attention to Mae. "Who's this, sweety?" she asked in a too bubbly voice.

"A relative," Jason answered quickly. "She was in town and decided to drop by for a visit."

The woman smiled and left the kitchen to go downstairs. Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Come on, follow me, I have a lot to talk to you about."

Mae picked up her tea mug and followed Jason down the stairs into the basement. Toys were scattered over the floor in front of the TV that was turned on to a kid's program. She stepped over them carefully and followed Jason into a back room with two doors. One regular and one made of thick metal and secure latch. Jason pulled it open and stepped inside. Mae followed.

The room was a simple, rectangular, cement room. Cables and chains were attached to the floor and wall in the very back far away from the door. A small desk was crammed against the side of the wall filled with notes and pictures. A filing cabinet sat next to it. Jason sat in the chair and directed Mae to sit in the chair beside him. She sat and drank some more of her tea. To be truthful, her reunion with her brother isn't quite what she's expected.

Jason sighed and relaxed in the chair. "How'd you get out?"

"Long story short, sold to an owner outside the Living Underworld, made some friends, called some crows and now here I am, a free demigod."

Jason nodded but didn't smile.

"I've noticed you have a nice family here," Mae said. "And that you've got blonde hair."

Jason ruffled his hair, deep in thought. "I love my wife and kids, and about the blonde hair." He sighed. "I don't want anyone to notice me."

"What do you mean?"

Again, he sighed. "Gods, Mae, it's been seven years since you left. Seven years since Chris died and seven years since Kyle was enslaved. How do you think that affected the rest of us?" Mae opened her mouth but shut it as Jason kept talking. "You know, I was walking in the woods the next day looking for you guys to see if you were attacked by a monster or something and the next thing I know I see the river running red, red with Chris' blood. A little further I found Kyle's sword and you two weren't anywhere to be seen.

"We sent out search parties but all of them failed, even the wolves couldn't track you guys down. After that the family fell apart. Fred said he didn't want anything to do with this family so he packed up and left."

"Where did he go?" she asked as grief entered her.

Jason shrugged. "Back to Russia, I think. Found a note back at home saying he was going to jump in the River Lethe and wipe his mind clean. He won't remember you if you ever found him." He fiddled with his papers a bit before continuing. "The twins died two years ago. Josh was killed by the Minotaur. James followed a month later by a pair of rogue Cyclops."

_They always had to be with each other, _Mae thought. Death couldn't even separate those two.

"Madeleine left the family as well. She never wanted to deal with our world so after you guys disappeared she left the camp to start a mortal life. I don't know where she is today and I doubt I will never see her until death. Teresa was the next to go as well. She died just a year ago by a raider. Saved a bunch of kids though."

"Wh-what about John?" Mae asked, a lump in her throat made it hard to speak.

"John's still good. Haven't seen him in years though. He dropped out of camp when he was eighteen to pursue a less dangerous and more exciting career."

Mae smiled. "As if killing monsters wasn't exciting enough for him."

"If I remember correctly, he said to me once that killing monsters is a lot like vacuuming. It's exciting the first time but it's very repetitive."

"That is something he would say."

Jason smiled. "He would."

She sipped her tea and set down the mug. "Do you know where he lives?"

"Somewhere in Canada," he answered and looked over some papers on his desk. "I'll find the address for you later."

Mae counted on her fingers how many of them were still alive. Fred, Madeleine, John, Jason, Kyle… what about their father?

"Hey, Jace (it was his nickname), what about dad? How's he doing?" Mae crossed her fingers discretely hoping he was okay.

Jason couldn't meet her eyes. His voice broke a bit as he spoke. "Dad died a year after you guys were gone. Doctors said he died of heart failure but everyone else knew he died of a broken heart. He couldn't accept the fact that one of his sons died, another enslaved, another jumped in the Lethe, and that his youngest was also enslaved. It was a rough time for all of us."

"So I sent dad to an early grave?"

"K, you may be a child of death but you can't be such a pessimist. Dad died because it was his time to go, not because of you. Don't you dare for one second think that Chris' and dad's death is your fault."

Mae nodded and shakily wiped away a tear. "You still haven't said why you have blonde hair."

"Right, well I swiped some permanent hair dye from the Venus cabin just before I left camp for good and dyed my hair blonde. I didn't want any to recognize me."

"So you gave up entirely on your demigod life?"

Jason nodded. "Got a mortal wife, three mortal kids, and none of them know about the true me. To them I'm just some rich architect who was an only child and whose parents both died from cancer. To them I'm mortal."

"But what do you do when it's your time of the month?"

Jason shrugged. "Fake that I'm going to a board meeting for a week sometimes, go on a fake fishing trip with the guys, or I just stay here, locked in this room."

Mae looked at the chains and cables attached to the floor and wall. "Have you ever escaped?"

He shook his head. "I had this room specially made. It's soundproof and that door is the kind of door they use in bank vaults." He pointed to the cables and chains. "Got those off the Black Market a few years back. So far I haven't broken through them."

"So far," Mae repeated. "What about wear and tear?"

"They're magical items, Mae. I should be safe down here. Besides I've been like this since you were born. I think I can handle it now."

Jason was attacked by Lycaon, the first werewolf, when he was fifteen. Everyone knows there is no cure for lycanthropy so ever since then he's had to transform into a wolf every full moon. So far he's kept the secret pretty well. The only thing he can't hide is the scarred tissue on his upper right arm. His excuse was a dog attacked him. It was partially true.

"Fine but what about the monster? Don't they come after you?"

"Once in a while but nothing I can't handle. If my family sees something they're not supposed to I can easily manipulate the mist so they see nothing. I've gotten quite good at it, I must say."

"But don't you hate living this lie?" she asked. "Come on, Jason, an architect? Seriously? You hate being stuck in an office."

"I'm taking medication for the ADHD and it's working out. Mae, I can't go back to my old life. It's just not going to happen."

Mae sighed. She's lost the old Jason forever. "Can I have the address for John's place? I want to see him before I have to go back to camp."

"Sure, just let me find it first." Jason shuffled through the messy stacks of papers and skimmed over some of them. He finally found the sheet he was looking for and started to write a few things down on a smaller piece of paper. He passed the sheet over to Mae and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm sorry if this isn't the reunion you were hoping for," he said. "But it was good to know you're still alive and well." He pulled out his wallet and handed her a few dollars in American money and two drachmas for emergencies. "This'll get you some food until you reach John. Sorry it isn't more but I haven't been to the bank lately."

"It's fine, Jace. It was good to see you again though." She stood and hugged her brother one last final time and left his room.

She passed the small, innocent blonde children and quickly ran up the stairs to the door. She slipped on her shoes and ran out the door back into the cold. The door opened behind her.

"Mae, wait." She turned and saw Jason walk towards her. He handed her a leather jacket. She took it gratefully and slipped it on even though it was a few sizes too big for her.

"Thanks." She zipped it up.

"Dad wouldn't want you to catch a cold now."

"No, he certainly wouldn't." She smiled. "Hey, Jace."

"What is it?"

Mae opened her mouth deciding whether she should ask Jason about her mysterious ability to heal on her own. "See ya later." Jason waved goodbye and they went their separate ways. Mae had more answers to find before she confronted Jason again. She walked back the way she came and disappeared into the city.

Mae quickly bought some food with the money Jason gave her and quickly chowed down on the one thing she hasn't had in years, a cheeseburger. She scarfed that down in a few minutes and left the restaurant to continue on her journey. With food in her stomach she felt like she could shadow travel again. No doubt she would pass out when she reached her destination from lack of sleep but it was going to be worth it.

Mae found an empty alley way and jumped into the nearest shadow she could find. She kept thinking about the address of John's place until she crashed into a cold snow bank. She pushed herself out. That was one wicked wake up. Mae shook the snow out of her hair. She was totally drained of energy. She stumbled down the laneway to the house. Walked up the steps of the porch and started knocking on the door. She pressed her forehead against the cold glass of the door, trying to wake herself up. That idea failed epically.

The door opened and Mae crashed onto the person standing in the doorway, who luckily caught her. She looked up long enough only to get a fuzzy image. Despite the many years, John looked exactly the same as he did seven years ago.

She managed only two words before she passed out. "Hi, John."

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><p><strong>Yeah, another boring chapter done. Hopefully I will have the next one up tomorrow. Please review.<strong>


	22. Chapter 22

**So because of recent reviews asking me to update and my failed attempt of updating sooner (blame work and parties) I'm giving you guys two chapters today to satisfy your needs to read my story. I thank you for taking time out of your life and reading this. I never thought it would turn out this well. Enjoy Chapters 22 and 23 guys!**

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><p>Chapter Twenty-Two<p>

It was a very, very, VERY long time before Mae came too. When she did come too she found herself lying on a couch with a warm blanket covering her. Lights were on wherever she was illuminating the room she was in.

She was sleeping in a living room of sorts with a small TV in front of her. Another room was laid out in front of her which was probably the dining room. A large open space in the wall joined the two rooms together. A door was off to the left side of the room slightly open.

Mae sat up slowly. Her jacket was set on the back of a chair and her sword was set on the wooden table in front of her. A glass of nectar was set out. Mae drank from it until it was all gone, instantly feeling revitalized.

The door to the room opened. A young man near the age of twenty stood in the doorway. His dark brown hair and dark red eyes matched her own. He had a few new scars on his arms that his dirty shirt didn't cover. They looked more like scratches instead of battle scars.

"Feeling any better?" he asked.

"Much better," Mae said. "I've been shadow travelling too much lately and I'm not used to it."

"Truth be told," said John, "I wasn't expecting you anytime soon. Just get out?"

It sounded as if she just got out of prison. "Few days ago. How long was I out?"

"Two days. You were totally drained of energy when you came through the door. You should really watch what you're doing."

"So I come through the door, pass out for two days and all you do is mock me? Where's the family love?" She stood up and hugged John. He pushed her away.

"Remember: look, don't touch."

"You still have that motto?" she asked.

He nodded and led her to the small kitchen where he prepared her some food. She sat down at the small table and looked around the house.

It was small. Smaller than her old house. The kitchen was a disgusting yellow colour with splatters of other types of things, food, other types of drinks, and… was that blood? John's been busy.

"Here." John set down several things in front of her. "Cereal, milk, spoon, bowl, feed yourself."

"Well aren't you the world's greatest host," she said sarcastically and poured herself a bowl of cheerios.

"You know it."

Mae ate a little bit and stared up at her brother. She knew he was always awkward around other people but over the years it seemed like he's closed himself off from the social world.

"Why do you live here and not back at home?" she asked and ate another big spoon full.

"It's quiet, it's smaller than home, it's in the middle of nowhere, it has three barns, a shop, and a huge basement. Perfect for what I need."

"And what do you need exactly?"

"Space, space, and more space. That's all I need. I need space for my equipment, my experiments, and other stuff."

"Like what stuff?"

John only smiled and walked down the stairs. Mae set down her bowl and followed him to the basement.

Mae wasn't expecting anything special. She expected it to be carpeted, have some couches laid out, a small TV in front of the couches and a wood stove in the back corner. John had a different vision for his basement. Instead of carpet it was just a plain cement floor. Instead of couches small and large cages lined the walls, some of them filled. Instead of a TV a writing desk was placed and there was no wood stove, only a refrigerated cabinet with a see through door filled with vials of different colours.

"This is your basement?" she asked. "It looks more like a laboratory."

John looked in one of cages and smiled. "It is. This is where I start with the little things like crossbreeding."

"Cross-what?"

"Crossbreeding, I crossbreed different animals. Like this one, I got a hellhound to mate with a German shepherd. I created a hybrid dog that can attack monsters and mortals but doesn't get too big to be uncontrollable and it doesn't attack demigods. Isn't that great?"

Mae stared at her brother. She always knew he was odd but she didn't think he would go this far. Despite her horror, Mae walked up to the cage and looked inside. Three puppies were sleeping in a giant mass of black and brown fur. John switched on a light so she could see them better. Although they were part hellhound, the puppies were quite cute. Their snouts were small and their ears floppy. They couldn't be older than a month.

"Want to hold one?" he asked and opened the cage. Before Mae could answer, a black pup was dumped into her arms. The pup opened its eyes and yawned revealing a large pink tongue. It nestled its head into her shoulder.

"I must admit they are cute but what do you do with them when they get bigger?"

John checked a few of the other cages before answering her. "When they get older I usually sell them at the Black Market. The money I get I send off to Camp Half Blood so they can invest in better weapons." He turned; a smile broke over his face. "Did you know you can make celestial bronze bullets? Yeah, me neither. I found some near Mount Tam a few days ago and decided it was worth getting into. Much faster for taking down monsters, don't you think?"

"I think being cooped up in this house has damaged your brain, relentlessly." She set the pup back in the cage and closed it. "And what were you doing at Mount Tam? Didn't you know that's a very dangerous place?"

"Of course I know but I couldn't help myself," he said and walked over to his desk and sat down. "It's a great place to discover stuff and capture monsters whenever I need them. Don't give me that look; I'm a more experienced half-blood than you are."

"Just you wait until I complete a full year at camp, then we'll see whose more experienced." Mae ran her fingers over the wires of the cage. One of the animals inside lunged at her and bit her finger. Mae yanked her hand away and stared at it.

"Careful there," he said and fused over the contents of the cage. "You know how hard pixies are to catch this time of year?" He took Mae's hand and looked at it under the light despite her protests. Slowly the wound started to close itself and heal. She waited for his reaction, and waited but it didn't come.

"What just happened?" he asked and stared at her finger in disbelief.

"Well, I don't know exactly," she said and pulled her hand away. "I was wondering if you knew anything about this."

"I think I read something about it but I've always thought it was made up."

"So, you know what this is then?"

John shrugged and went back upstairs. Mae followed to the living room where she slept. A book case was stuffed into the back corner filled with Latin books covered in leather. Some looked to be many centuries old. Some of them were even written on scrolls. John looked up and down the shelves for something. He pulled out a very large book and brought it over to the kitchen table where he set it down with a might thump and a cloud of dust. He flipped through the yellowed pages and skimmed over certain parts.

"Here I think I got it or something," he said. Mae looked over his shoulder and looked at the page. "It pretty much says that anyone who can heal on their own without nectar or ambrosia is blessed by the Fates." He turned to her; a blank expression was on his face. He mumbled something and made a mad dash back for the book case. Mae followed him as he started scrambling around the room looking for something and mumbling to himself.

"FOUND IT!" he yelled triumphantly and held up a small worn book found in a box in the corner of the room. He tossed the old book to Mae who caught it carefully and looked at the cover.

"Philos and the Guardian," she whispered and looked at the small book that her father always read to her. She flipped through the old pages carefully trying not to rip the delicate pages. "You still have this book?"

"Of course," he said. "It was my favourite story too, although I don't think it's a fiction story anymore."

"Why not?"

"Read the book and find out."

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><p><strong>Bam, one chapter down, if you want to review now go ahead but you can always review after chapter 23, either way is fine by me as long as you review.<strong>


	23. Chapter 23

**Guess what guys? This chapter is all about Philos and the Guardian. The myth that I created just for you guys. So enjoy**

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><p>Chapter Twenty Three<p>

Once upon a time there was a fair prince named Philos who roamed the land with his faithful friend, Arkoses. Philos was a son of Jupiter and was well liked among mortals and immortals alike. Arkoses was a son of Ceres and always looked up to his friend.

They were out riding one day near the border of Philos' kingdom. He was a man of adventure and was always up for having fun. Today he and his friend were out hunting a manticore that terrorized a local town earlier that week. It was the beginning of their fourth day on the journey and they were getting close to their prey. Philos drew his sword and jumped off his horse and ran into the woods. Arkoses was nervous at first but grudgingly followed his friend into the dark woods.

"Philos, sir," Arkoses said as he pushed his way through the thick brush. "Are you sure the manticore went this way? I do not see any tracks suggesting it went through this part of the woods."

Philos stopped and turned to his friend. "Arkoses, my dear friend, this is the fun part of the journey, the hunt. It is the most thrilling part of it as well. Especially if you do not know where you are going to end up by the end of it. Come on then, friend, I feel as if it is near." Philos turned back and ran further into the woods. Arkoses always thought his friend was rash but it was best to let him have his fun now instead of doing this all over again the following week.

Philos found the tracks. He found the prints of the manticore that led straight into a cave a little ways away. Arkoses followed close behind but Philos was too impatient and ran into the cave without his friend by his side.

He could hear it breathing. Philos could actually hear the deep breaths of the manticore. It must be asleep. For precautions sake, Philos activated the shield that was disguised as a thick silver bracelet around his wrist. A gift from his father, Jupiter, modeled after his own. A large silver shield with the face of the gorgon Medusa pressed into it. Aegis was its name. A much feared shield he might add.

Philos trailed his hand against one side of the cave and kept far away from the manticore careful not to wake it. He could see the faint outline of its sleeping form. Its clubbed tail curled around the rest of its body. He watched the tail intently. If it twitched he would have to kill it quickly. Even without Arkoses at his side he would be able to take this monster on his own. He stood over the monster, his sword pointed at its neck.

A cry for help sounded outside the cave. The manitcore's eyes popped open. It bolted out of the cave swinging its tail and knocking Philos off his feet. It disappeared back into the woods roaring as it went. Philos got up, grabbing his sword in search for the person who dared to ruin his hunt. He walked into the forest and saw Arkoses surrounded by four people dressed in dark coloured robes. No. They weren't people; they were raiders, monsters that hunted children of gods to enslave them.

Philos jumped into the nearest tree to hide. He stayed quiet and watched the scene down below. Arkoses was never a strong fighter, not like Philos was but in this situation Arkoses put up a valiant fight.

His sword was knocked out of his hands and the raiders pressed in, swords all pointed at his throat. The raider behind Arkoses gripped his hair and pulled him close, a knife to his neck.

"Where is the other demigod?" the raider asked.

"I do not know what you are talking about," Arkoses answered. The raider snarled and kicked Arkoses to the ground and placed a foot on his back while the other took out a whip. The raider brought it down on his back.

"Where is the other demigod?" it roared again. They whipped him again. "Where is the demigod?" Another lash was delivered.

Arkoses choked back a cry of pain. "I do not know what you are talking about. I was alone in the woods. There is no one with me."

The raiders seemed displeased with this news. They always want to capture more than one demigod in a raid but for now this would have to do.

Philos watched as they bound his friend's hands behind his back and slipped a loop of rope around his neck. They pulled him off the ground and tugged on the rope around his neck. Arkoses, the always obedient one, didn't refuse and followed the raiders through the woods.

Once they were out of earshot, Philos dropped lightly to the ground and found the footprints in the ground that he had to follow. With the manticore forgotten Philos walked through the woods following the tracks in the ground. Arkoses was pressing his feet hard into the ground, all for Philos' sake so he would have an easier time rescuing his friend.

Philos travelled through the night not stopping for rest. Raiders travelled fast especially during the night. Night was always the monsters time. When morning came Philos climbed up into a tree and found a sturdy branch to sleep on. He would rest a couple hours and then begin his new journey.

After a few fitful hours of sleep Philos continued to walk through the forest, alone with his sword and shield in hand. He didn't stop walking for the entire day. He was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and utterly alone. He was so stupid. He should never take risks like that again. He should've been at Arkoses side when the raiders appeared not hunting down that manticore all for his pride's sake. Arkoses was like a brother to him. He could not lose him to the fate of slavery.

Philos walked along the mountain side following the footsteps he could still manage to make out against the rocky ground. He was on his second day of his journey. He's stopped only twice before, both for sleep and both were only for two or three hours. Had to keep moving, had to save Arkoses was all he thought about.

Philos always thought he was invincible. And because of that invincibility that nobody would dare go against him or the people most close to him. The Fates are cruel people but it was known they no longer controlled his life but they certainly controlled Arkoses' life.

Philos was the first demigod to be blessed by the Fates. By having that blessing the regular rules of life no longer applied to him. The Fates can cause something in someone's life so they have a cut. If Philos doesn't wish a cut to happen and yet he gets one it heals itself without the aid of nectar or ambrosia. He controls all aspects of his life now. The Fates have no influence over his life and still he was so stupid to think he was invincible and Arkoses was paying for his arrogance. Maybe this was the way Fates were toying with his life. Since they could no longer toy with his they played with Arkoses' life instead.

It took Philos a full week before he got anywhere. The landscape had changed from a mountain surrounded by forests to it being surrounded by a harsh desert. He hasn't eaten anything since the morning he went out to hunt the manticore. It was definitely taking a toll on him. Philos stumbled more often and he was extremely tired all the time. He tapped his shield and shrunk back into its bracelet form. It was much less bulky to travel with.

The sky rumbled overhead. Philos looked up. Would his father be willing to help? His answer was met by a cold raindrop to the forehead.

"Is that your answer?" he yelled at the sky. "Will you do nothing and watch as your son suffers in this wasteland?" Never in his life had he been so angry at the gods. Of course he's had to live with the threat of the raiders but he was well protected. Wolves guarded him at night all because of Lupa, his mentor. He still couldn't get over the fact of how arrogant he was. He was stupid, an idiot. He deserved to end up in the Fields of Punishment but by willing his life to end would do nothing to help Arkoses. With the rain starting to fall Philos rain through the desert.

The rain became heavier and heavier soon drenching Philos from head to toe. He couldn't go on anymore. He was exhausted physically and mentally. He needed to rest. Sleep would help him think clearly. He walked to the mountain side and found a rather large cavern where he collapsed in the driest area and fell into a deep slumber.

The ground rumbled beneath Philos but he was too tired to wake up and see what it was. Slowly Philos was dragged further into the cave away from the rivulets of the falling rain.

When Philos awoke he could no longer see the mouth of the cave. No light of any kind was visible in the cave. Philos groaned and flipped onto his back feeling the sore muscles from walking nonstop for several days. He would have to find food soon though. He couldn't go on like this anymore. He needed to keep up his strength.

Philos blinked a few times trying to get used to the very dim light of the cave. To his surprise he found he was moved away from the mouth of the cave and further into it. He sat up and looked around. How in Pluto did he get all the way over here?

The ground rumbled beneath him. Philos looked up to see the dark outline of a very huge creature. A deep rumbling sound came from the creature. Philos backed away a few feet so he wasn't under the creature's head. The creature bent down to Philos who was still scrambling away. The creature stepped forward once getting closer to Philos. A dragging of something metal came with it. The creature bent its head to Philos and started to sniff Philos. He could see with the little light in the cave rows of very sharp white teeth. He tapped his bracelet and Aegis came to life. He reached for his sword but couldn't find it. He must've dropped it at the mouth of the cave. No time to go and get it now without this thing trying to eat him.

When the creature was done sniffing Philos it laid down with a might thump and growled lowly. Philos stood up facing the creature. The creature rolled on its side and licked its teeth as if it were hungry for demigod meat. Philos kept Aegis between him and the creature but the creature did not shrink away in fear it only lifted up its head and growled lowly. It didn't sound menacing but almost curious.

Philos backed away a few more steps. The creature followed with the dragging sound again. Philos backed away a little faster until he bumped into the cave wall. He could see light! The mouth of the cave was not far away now. The creature was still shrouded in the shadows but it didn't seem all that menacing anymore.

Philos saw his sword lying on the ground. He turned to the creature and looked back at his sword. He ran. The creature bounded after him. Philos dove for his sword and held his shield up. He stood up warily with his sword in hand. He could see the creature fully now. It was twenty feet tall and a hundred feet long from snout to tail. Bronze scales covered its entire body making it gleam in the sun. Its wings were folded against its body and it bared its teeth at Philos, snarling. The dragon also had a large iron collar around its neck dragging with it a very heavy looking chain.

The dragon growled at Philos and stepped forward another step before the chain pulled tight and kept it from getting any closer. It tugged at the chain and tried biting it but nothing could break the chain. It roared at the sky and shook its head. It looked at Philos who was quietly slinking his way out of the cave. It roared and swept its tail out catching Philos off guard. Philos was swept off his feet and smacked against the opposite side of the cave. He fell to the ground hard and didn't move. The dragon nudged Philos with its nose. He still didn't move. The dragon pawed at Philos and picked it up within its claws and carried him back into the deep cave.

Philos felt the wound on the back of his head close and heal. All that remained was a nasty headache and various bumps and bruises that would clear up in no time. He blinked a few times readjusting to the darkness. He was still in the cave but amazingly was not eaten, yet. He sat up both his sword and shield gone. The dragon was lying down beside him watching over him. It nudged his arm and growled, then laid down its head again. Maybe this dragon wasn't a man eater like all the myths portrayed them to be. If it wanted to eat him it would have already.

Philos looked at the dragon, or rather squinted at it and tried to make out the shape of it in the dark. He could hear the rattling of the chain as the dragon shifted itself. Philos stood up and took a tentative step towards the dragon. It didn't move but stared at Philos curiously. His foot bumped the chain. He followed it towards the back of the cave where it laid coiled and attached to the cave wall. Philos walked up to the end of the chain and tugged on it. Why was this dragon chained up like this? It didn't seem mean or man eating. No murderous rage look in its eyes. Then why was it in here?

Philos paced around the cave thinking how he could free the dragon. Surely it wouldn't attack mortals if it were free. He stumbled on something. He bent down and picked it up. It was a robe made from scratchy material like the raiders would wear. It even smelt like a nasty, rotting raider. He found more robes scattered around the floor of the cave. Philos looked at the dragon and then back at the robes. Could it be possible the dragon ate raiders? Maybe that's why it didn't eat him. It didn't eat demigods but protected them. Then why was it here and not out there? The raiders must've trapped the dragon in this cave to keep it from interfering on their raids. A weapon against the raiders but how could he free the dragon from this cave?

Philos continued to pace thinking of an idea. If the dragon couldn't break the chain then he certainly couldn't break the chain. Philos thought about it for a moment. He had it, something strong enough to break the chain.

Philos led the dragon back to the mouth of the cave as far as the chain would let it go. He looked up at the sky. The clouds were gone revealing the sun.

"Please, father," he murmured. "Just this once, please, for Arkoses sake." The sky rumbled and a mass of clouds blew in. A streak of lightning appeared in the sky then came shooting down at the cave. Philos dropped to the ground as the lightning bolt entered the cave and connected with the chain. The dragon roared loudly as the chain was broken in two. It bounded out of its prison and spread its wings open to take flight into the sky. Philos looked up at the dragon as it flew around happily and then landed back at his feet. He picked up his sword and shield and walked over to the dragon. It nudged his arm and growled happily. With a dragon by his side he was sure to free Arkoses.

Philos continued on his journey with the dragon walking behind him. With the rain come and gone Arkoses tracks were lost forever and who knows where he his know since Philos fell asleep in a cave and was knocked unconscious by a dragon. In other words the journey was going horribly wrong.

They walked on underneath the hot sun into the unending desert. Philos has heard of this place. He's never been to it of course but he has heard things of how this was the place where raiders brought demigods to sell them. He should run into raiders very soon then.

Philos stopped walking when he came upon a hill. Down below in the valley was an odd collection of buildings with many small figures walking towards them. This is where the raiders took Arkoses, he could feel it. Philos slid down the hill and walked towards the buildings, sword and shield in hand with the dragon guarding his back.

He got closer to the buildings and could see the walking figures closely now. Some were raiders, others were monsters, and a few more were demigod slaves. The dragon roared excitedly catching everyone's attention. It ran to the nearest raider and gobbled it up quickly. Its tail swiped another of its feet while it ate another. Philos charged a raider who was going to spear the dragon. He sliced the spear in half and bashed the raider with his shield. The dragon pinned a raider to the ground with a massive paw and tore it in half happily munching on the rotting insides. It roared at the sky and chased down another raider that hadn't run away yet like the others.

In a matter of minutes the market was cleared except for a few shocked demigods that were standing in the pens of the auction. Philos ran over and cut the chain holding the door of the pen closed. He then cut the ropes of the sold demigods and the ones who were just bought. The dragon happily ran around the auction looking for more raiders to eat.

Philos looked among the faces of demigods looking for Arkoses. He was nowhere to be found, probably already sold to some raider or monster.

The demigods bowed to the prince respectively before rummaging around for a weapon in the ruins of the auction and then running out in one large group to leave this wicked place. Philos couldn't stop here; he had to find his friend. He could not leave him here.

The dragon walked up to Philos and looked around for anymore raiders. Philos grabbed the section of chain still attached to the iron collar around the dragon's neck. He climbed up the chain and settled on its back. He needed an aerial view of the place. The dragon knew this and took off into the sky.

Philos could make out everything from that height. He could see the auction down below and plantation dotted in the area. The dragon caught the scent of a raider and dove sharply to the ground much to Philos' displeasure. It landed shaking Philos off its back and then running off into the distance. Philos ran after it. He heard the distressing calls of someone. That only made him run faster.

He neared the barracks of one plantation and could see the situation clearly. A demigod was tied up between to posts and was being whipped by a raider. It wasn't any demigod. It was Arkoses. Philos would know that cry for mercy anywhere.

The dragon flew up into the air and then dove back down catching the raider in its teeth then taking it back up into the air. Philos ran to his friend and cut him from the posts. Arkoses fell but Philos caught him. He blinked through his tears and saw the face of his friend above him. Arkoses embraced Philos tightly.

"Next time," said Arkoses, "we stick together."

"Next time I will wait for you," Philos said and helped his beaten friend to his feet. Philos grabbed Arkoses' tunic from the ground and slid it over his shoulders. Arkoses leaned against his friend for support as they began the long journey home. The dragon landed beside Philos, scaring Arkoses greatly.

"Do not be frightened of it," Philos said. "This dragon is a good dragon. It does not attack demigods. It only attacks raiders and monsters alike. This dragon is a guardian, a guardian of the demigods."

The two friends continued on their journey home leaving behind the guardian dragon to finish what it started. It continues to fly freely in the raiders' land freeing the slaves and destroying the raiders. It will be forever a guardian of the demigods.

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><p><strong>Was it worth the wait? I'm sorry I didn't update earlier but work and stuff. I'll try to update within a few days so until next time please review, they encourage me greatly.<strong>


	24. Chapter 24

**I'm blushing guys, stop it, stop it,... aww I love it when you guys review. Here have a chocolate cake made by the fiends. And another chapter that I stayed up late to finish. Special thanks goes out to SonOfAthena97 and to 5popcorn99. You guys are awesome. On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I forgot to do this last chapter but I will fix that. I don't own PJO.**

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><p>Chapter Twenty Four<p>

"You realize what this means, don't you?" Mae asked her brother who was sprawled out on the couch with his face in the pillows.

"I have absolutely no idea what this means," he said, sounding a little muffled.

"Could you be any more sarcastic?"

He paused. Then said, "Yes, yes I could be. Wanna hear me?"

"No thank you I get enough of that from the guys back at camp. But do you know what this means?"

John stretched out on the couch and flipped on to his back. "No, but please, enlighten me."

"Fine be no help." Mae paced in front of her brother as she's been doing for the past hour. "As I was reading Philos and the Guardian I realized there were similarities between me and him. He can heal himself without nectar or ambrosia, as can I, and he was blessed by the Fates which might explain those crazy dreams I've had for the past few months. After I was done reading Philos and the Guardian I looked at the book big you have on the table and I read on. The proper terminology for people like me and Philos is a Fate Tempter or Temptress depending on the gender. Apparently we are very rare like finding the lost god Faunus rare and that we are meant to complete one specific task in our lives."

"Where are you going with this exactly?"

"What if I am meant to end slavery?"

"…"

"Well, could you at least say something? I need some input here!"

John twiddled his thumbs for a bit and stared at the ceiling, eyebrows drawn together. "Are you sure you have a feeling of this is your purpose in life?"

"I've never been so sure in my life! John, I have a really good feeling about this one. My dreams, my gift are all making sense now. Even what everybody's been saying to me all my life makes sense now. 'Live you to your name' they all say. They aren't trying to say live up to the name Mae they are meaning live up to the name Fate Temptress." Mae smiled. After so many years she's finally figure it all out. Her life hasn't made so much sense in forever.

"So?" she asked. "What do you think?"

"Honestly," he said and sat up, "you scare me." He stood up and walked down to the basement. Mae followed right after him.

"What do you mean I scare you?"

"You've always scared me. Remember that one time when you were five and you woke me up while holding a knife?"

Mae stopped on the staircase thinking back to that time. "Oh yeah, I think I was helping dad cut grapefruit."

"You could've at least set down the knife but noooo you had to carry it up to my room." Mae kept walking and leaned against the wall as John opened the pups' cage and took one out. "And now you're freaking invincible? I find that a little unnerving which will probably keep me up at night for the rest of my life."

"Sorry I made your life so miserable but I thought you would be happy," she said. "I can find a way to end slavery and I can get Kyle back. I thought you would be happy with this."

John sighed and turned to her. "I am happy for you but I'm also worried. I lost you for seven years. I lost my whole family within a few years of your enslavement and now I hear you wanting to go back to that place to free the slaves. What if you get caught and enslaved again? I may never see you again."

Mae thought about this for a moment. Despite John's awkward social skills he still cared deeply about her but was scared to show it. "John, I know this is hard for you but I know the ins and outs of the Living Underworld now. I'm an old timer, a veteran, an expert. I think I can handle a raider or two now."

"Not on your own you can't, we both know they travel in packs."

"True."

John stroked the pup's head in his arms and walked towards her. "I'll make you a deal since I know you'll disobey me if I order you not to go, not like you would listen to me anyway. Train with Lupa for a minimum of six months. That way you have some new survival and fighting skills to prepare you to go back into the Living Underworld. And you have to take at least two people with you when you go, strong good fighting people, and I'm going to give you one of the pups to protect you. Believe me if you train that thing well enough no one will ever come close to you again."

"That's comforting to know, being a death kid just got better. Fine I'll accept your terms but on one condition. I want you to do some research for me about being a Fate Temptress. I know I don't want to but I have to know the limitations of having this blessing, curse, whatever it's considered to be."

John nodded accepting the terms and dumped the small black and brown pup into her arms to take with her. He walked up the stairs. "You really got to work on your skills in shadow travelling. Last time you fell for me and I was all like 'INCEST'!"

"SHUT UP!"

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><p>Mae enjoyed her time with her brother. He definitely could still put a smile on her face no matter what the situation. They talked about old times back at their old house before John moved. He told her about dad's funeral and it was how he wanted it, short and to the point.<p>

"What did you say for the eulogy?" she asked and stabbed down on the piece of meat John had cooked for dinner. He was not a gourmet cook, that's for sure.

"I think I said something like how dad hated two things long funerals and the government. And that was about it. I think it took me maybe less than five minutes to get it done."

"Just the way he liked it."

They continued talking throughout the night. Mae mostly asked questions about how life has been for the past seven years. John said it got rather depressing with the family breaking up but it freed him up to pursue his own career of becoming a Black Market specialist, dealing with odds and ends and black magic items and all the other creepy stuff that could potentially raise the dead. Another thing Mae asked was when her birthday was. John gave her a weird look but told her anyway.

"It's on October 31," he said.

"I find that kind of ironic," she said and popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "I mean, a child of death being born on a day that celebrates with ghosts and skeletons. It's pretty cool though."

"I thought so."

Mae shoved a few more kernels into her mouth before asking a really serious question. "What happened to dad's estate?"

John reached for the popcorn bowl. She gave it to him. "Once dad died Jason had to deal with his will and all that other legal mumbo-jumbo. Jason didn't want to go into the family business so he gave that over to a co-partner or something so that was dealt with very easily and secretly. As for the house we still own it but I didn't need to live in it. I wanted a place for myself away from prying eyes and such."

"You never did like people," she said and took back the bowl.

"Nope, never did, never will." He looked at the clock on the wall. "I have to check on the creatures and then I'll go to bed. You okay on the couch?"

"I'll be fine." John started to leave the room as Mae set up the couch for bed. "Hey, John." He turned. "I may be gone in the morning when you get up so thanks, I guess, for taking care of me and giving me the pup."

"No prob, squirt."

"I AM NOT A SQUIRT!"

"You're still shorter than me."

"I'M STILL GROWING!"

John smirked. "You keep thinking that, shorty."

"SHUT UP!" She picked up the nearest pillow and threw it at him but he already ran downstairs.

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><p>At six in the morning Mae was ready to go back to Tyler's house and then on to camp. John set up out a few things for her late last night to help her on her journey, a back pack, a small hunting knife and a few dollars, both Canadian and American, to buy some luxuries on the way. The pup was sleeping on a pile of blankets in the kitchen near the furnace vent. It growled at her when she set it into her back pack along with the warm blanket but soon quieted down when everything was still again. Mae dug out a drachma from her pocket and walked over to the kitchen sink. She dug out a spit screen for pan frying from a cupboard and turned on the faucet. She set the screen underneath the water flow at an angle creating somewhat of a weak spray. She tossed the drachma in watching it disappear and began the call.<p>

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering and show me Tyler Anderson on his farm in North Dakota." Mae really should've have done this a few days ago but she was too excited to see her family, or what was left of it.

The mist shimmered showing a dark room with a boy still asleep on his bed. Mae knew the message was being passed on to Tyler waking him from his sleep because he stretched and rubbed his eyes bringing his attention to the Iris Message. He smiled and waved at Mae.

"Sorry if I woke you," Mae said quietly, "but I was just checking in."

"It's five in the morning," he pointed out.

"Sorry but I wanted to see if you were okay."

"If I'm still in my room, I'm fine," he said and closed his eyes.

"Hey don't fall asleep on me now," she said wishing she could poke him through the mist. "I'm shadow travelling to your house right now so I'm warning you now that someone will knock on your door in approximately one minute and that someone will be me but if it isn't me don't let the random stranger into your house."

Tyler sighed and laid still for a minute appearing as if he were asleep.

"Ty?" she asked. "Ty, are you still awake?"

"Yes," he answered groggily and kicked off the blankets. "See you at the front door." He swiped his hand through the message cutting off the image. Mae put on the leather jacket Jason gave her and slung on the backpack John gave her, careful not to disturb the pup she still had to name. She took in a deep breath and stepped into a shadow.

Mae caught herself as she came out from a tree shadow a few yards away from Tyler's house. She walked over to the door, shoes crunching on the cold snow. It sure was cold in North Dakota this time of year. She walked up to the door and knocked on it. A second later Tyler opened the door and stepped aside to let Mae in. She took off her shoes and placed them on the mat. The backpack was sent gently on the ground near a furnace vent so the pup wouldn't get cold during the few hours of night remaining. She would have to tell Tyler about that thing tomorrow, or in a few hours, boy was she tired.

"You can sleep with me in my bed for now," he said and yawned. "There's only a few hours left until sunrise."

"Hey, Ty," she said and smiled, "you didn't stutter the entire time you spoke."

He frowned. "I g-guess not."

"Okay, that one was on purpose." He smirked and led her up the stairs to the guest bed room where he slept in the larger bed than the one that occupied his old bedroom. As soon as he lay down and pulled the blankets over top of him, Tyler was out cold. Mae slipped in beside him and settled down underneath the warm blankets.

It wasn't awkward for the two to sleep together in the same bed no less. They've been sleeping in the same room for several months now. Mae and Tyler were used to it by now. She considered him as another brother. It's not like she hasn't slept with her brothers before, not in the whole incestuous fashion but as in the 'dad's-not-home-and-I-had-a-bad-dream' type of fashion.

She looked at the sleeping form of her friend beside her. _He is cute when he sleeps; _she thought and had an urge to brush away the hair from his forehead. Coincidentally, she found herself doing that. Tyler only moaned and stirred in his sleep before going still again. Mae brought her hand away and settled down under the blankets. Would her new found gift cause her scent to become stronger? Endangering her even more? She hoped not because she may also put Tyler's life on the line as well. She couldn't leave him though. That would only shatter him completely. No, there would be a way to live with her new gift and protect Tyler at the same time. And she would find it. Right now sleep would take place.

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><p><strong>I won't update probably until Thursday so please give me reviews to fuel my passion for this story. Blame work and the sleepiness for not updating sooner. Stupid tomatoes.<strong>


	25. Chapter 25

**So as I promised a chapter on Thursday. It's a short, fluff chapter but a chapter none the less. Believe me, chapter 28 is packed full of adventure. I can't wait to give it to you guys.**

**Special thanks to I-am-2Die4, Slyshindi for the reviews and/or adding my story. You guys are awesome.**

**On with the show people!**

**Disclaimer: Isn't it sad that I don't own any of this but my plot and characters? Yeah, I know, sad right?  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter Twenty Five<p>

Mae blinked her eyes a few times readjusting to the light streaming in from the window. _Oh how nice it feels to be sleeping on a nice, fluffy, warm mattress, _Mae thought. When she finally gained her senses she found herself pressed right up against Tyler with one arm flung on top of his chest with one of his arms wrapped around her. _Well, _she thought, _this is certainly interesting. _Tyler began to stir beside her only to draw her closer and rested his chin on the top of her head. _This is nice, _she thought, _I do like Tyler a lot. Plus he smells good. _Mae took in a deep breath taking in the sweet scent of honey mixed with the forest after a cleansing rain.

Tyler took his arm away and stretched out on the bed. He looked down and saw Mae practically sleeping on top of him. He pulled away and Mae moved to the other side of the bed.

"Why did you move?" she whined. "You were so comfortable." She flopped back down on the bed and pulled the blankets up over her head.

"Sorry if I woke you up but I found that a little too disturbing," he said and kicked off the blankets.

"Found what too disturbing?" Mae asked under the blankets.

"You using me as a pillow. Normally I don't like it when people sleep in the same bed as me."

"Apparently," she said and sat up. "Nice room, very bright." The room wasn't richly decorated or anything but was painted in a light earth green tone with a white ceiling and trim.

"Some of us are not all dark and depressing like you are, Mae," he said and pulled off his shirt and dug around in the dresser for a clean one. Mae looked at his back. She didn't mean to stare but they were just there. His tan has faded a bit since it's been months since he's last been to the Living Underworld but the scars were still as noticeable as ever.

Mae got off the bed and walked behind Tyler as he desperately searched for a shirt. She lightly traced the longest scar on his back. Tyler stopped searching and remained still. She felt him tremble beneath his touch shaking lightly as long as her hand remained on him.

"Do you still have nightmares?" she asked quietly.

His shoulders tensed and he placed his hands on top of the dresser to steady himself. "Sometimes," he whispered. "I-it's getting b-better."

"And the stutter?' she asked and traced the next scar. "Do you only stutter when you think about it?"

"Pretty m-much," he said and pulled out a clean shirt and slammed the dresser drawer closed. He harshly tugged on his shirt and left the room. Mae let her hands drop by her sides. So those walls around him still haven't crumbled.

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><p>Mae walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where Tyler was saying goodbye to his dad. She quietly walked in and looked at her backpack on the floor. It was empty. Mae looked around the kitchen frantically. Who knows what that little monster could do on its own.<p>

"Looking for something?" Tyler asked as he held a mass of black and brown fur.

"Oh my goodness, thank you," she said and took the lively pup into her arms. It started to lick her face and bark a very high pitched bark. "Shush, for once in your life shush. I meant to tell you about this little guy earlier but you looked so tired and I thought it would be best if I told you when you were alive, I guess."

"Well since I'm 'alive' now I guess we can talk now," he said and gestured her to sit down at the table. Mae sat and set the pup down on the floor. It started to sniff her feet and tug at her socks.

"So where's your dad going?"

Tyler rummaged through the cabinets in search of food before answering. "To town." He slid a bowl to Mae along with a spoon and set down one for himself on the opposite end of the table.

"Are you angry at me?" she asked and kicked the pup by accident making it yelp. "Sorry," she whispered to the floor.

"No," he said flatly and pulled out a milk can and a box of cereal. "Just stressed." He made himself a bowl of cereal and slid the box and milk to Mae. She poured herself some cereal as well.

"Stressed about what?" Mae watched as the pup chased a spider across the floor wagging its tail happily.

"I don't know," Tyler said and stuck the spoon in his mouth. "I guess it's about camp. I don't know if I want to go back."

"Why not?" Mae didn't look up at him as the pup was running under the table still chasing the spider.

"I feel as if it's not the right place for me," he said and stared over at Mae. "Mae, what are looking at?"

Mae banged her head on the underside of the table. "Ow," she muttered and brought her head up back to meet Tyler's gaze. "The pup was chasing a spider. I got distracted. So you were saying?"

He rolled his eyes and ate another scoop of cereal. "I was saying that I might not go back to camp."

"What?" she choked and coughed on her cereal. "Lupa will be furious if you don't come back."

"It's not like this doesn't happen that often. Lupa kicks out campers all the time."

"Only if they can't handle the training which is very, very few people. Tyler, you can take the training, you're strong and fit. You'll be able to take the training. What makes you think you can't?"

"I know I can but I don't think I'm meant for this life," he said and stared at the pup whose paws were on the seat of his chair staring up at him and wagging its tail. Tyler scratched the pup behind its ears. "We train, we sleep, we eat, and we train again. It's all a stupid pattern and where did it get me? Four and a half years being a mute slave. Sometimes I just don't see the point in training anymore if it only ends up in me becoming a slave again." He ate the last of his cereal and set the bowl on the ground for the pup.

Mae ate a little bit of her cereal and stared at the table. She didn't want to leave Tyler behind here. It wouldn't feel right plus it would feel weird not having him around. She had an idea though, an idea of keeping him around while defeating the raiders at the same time.

"What if I told you there was a way to defeat the raiders and end slavery?" she said.

"Well then I might join you at camp but I would also probably laugh at you for being so naïve."

"Well there happens to be a way."

"Do tell."

Mae drank the remaining milk in her bowl before telling. "Ever read Philos and the Guardian?" He nodded. "Well I found out that I share similarities with Philos. There's part in the story where it explains Philos' gift. He can heal himself without the aid of nectar and ambrosia. I'm born with that same gift and I can prove it." Mae walked over to the knife block and took out a large knife. She held her hand out in front of Tyler with the knife in the other. He winced as he saw the knife and then swiped it across her palm. Blood seeped out from the gash at first but slowly the wound closed itself and the blood stopped flowing.

"What the Pluto?" Tyler whispered and looked at her hand.

"I'm a Fate Temptress, Ty," she said and sat down in a chair. "The Fates no longer control my life, I do. Every demigod that is born with this gift has one task to complete in their lifetime. I feel mine is ending slavery once and for all."

He touched the bloodied palm staining the tips of his fingers with blood. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because every time I look in your eyes I see the pain and hurt the raiders caused you. Every time I close my eyes I see the sword being pulled out from my brother's stomach. The raiders have both caused us pain that we will never forget. I think we can work together to end this for everyone. Tyler, please come back to camp with me. We'll train for a few months and then we'll come up with a plan." She held his hand with both of hers. "Tyler, please."

He looked at their hands and placed his other hand on top of hers. "Okay, I'll go back." Mae smiled and hugged him. "So, about this puppy."

"Oh, right." She broke off and sat back down looking over at the pup who was now chewing one of her shoes. "I was at my brother's place yesterday learning some answers about my gift. He and I had a compromise while I was there. He would let me go to the Living Underworld to complete my life task only if I completed six months of training, have at least two companions, and he gave me that pup who's a mix of Hellhound and German Shepard. It's supposed to protect me but it looks rather harmless."

"Have you given him a name yet?" Tyler walked over to the pup and picked it up off the ground and set on his lap.

"Well since now I know it's a guy I guess I'll name him… Cooper?"

"Cooper," Tyler said and stroked him. "I think that name is very fitting."

"So, when do you want to go back to camp? If we go back sooner Lupa will be impressed."

Tyler let Cooper nibble on his fingers. "Well since I'm going back I think in three or four days. I want to stay here for a bit yet. Got a lot of catching up to do with my dad."

"I understand. And Tyler?" He looked up at her. "Thanks for doing this with me."

He smiled and stroked Cooper as he tried to catch Tyler's hand with his small mouth.

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><p><strong>You know what I hate the most? Tomato plants. I'm allergic to them yet I work with them. What's up with that? And my allergy pills don't work. Sometimes I wish I were world dictator and could wipe out tomato species from the earth. Yeah, that's right, no more ketchup. But then again I would have no job so that tomatoes have to stay... for now.<strong>

**Review people! They make me smile, which is a scary thing**.


	26. Chapter 26

**Happy belated Canada Day to those of you who are Canadian like myself. Yes, I'm a monster but was that so surprising? No, I didn't think so. And to those of you who are American have a great long weekend with your Fourth of July celebrations and stuff. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**. **Some day I will (hopefully, but unlikely) but until then I'll entertain myself with writing fanfics. Enjoy ppl!**

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><p>Chapter Twenty Six<p>

The day came when Mae and Tyler had to leave and go back to camp. They were leaving late at night to reach camp by early morning. Tyler packed his things into a bag and tromped down the stairs towards where Mae was standing trying to get the energetic Cooper into the backpack. Tyler laughed and bent down to the ground. Cooper's ears perked up as Tyler got his attention. He sort of waddled over to Tyler and started to lick his hands. Tyler scooped him up and placed him in the pack for Mae.

"How do you do that?" she asked and shouldered the pack.

"I have a good way with animals," he said and slipped on his shoes.

"Well that's convenient," she said and zipped up her coat.

"What do you mean that's convenient?"

"Well John said I would need to train Cooper to become the perfect guard dog. And since you have such a good way with animals I thought-"

"You thought I would help train him with you."

"Well I don't have much experience training dogs," she admitted. "So I wouldn't be considered helpful."

"So you're going to make me do all the work."

Mae nodded and smiled. "If you would."

Tyler sighed and reached for his jacket. "You're lucky I'm your friend."

"I know I am."

Mae stepped out the house and crunched her way onto the path so Tyler and his dad could have some privacy. She knew Tyler wasn't too keen on leaving his dad today. He would always get a little sad and quiet when she brought up the subject. Best to let them have a few minutes alone.

Tyler came out a few minutes later and stood beside Mae. "So ready to fly?' he asked and smiled.

"You know I'm not," she said and crossed her arms.

Tyler put his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly.

"Since when could you whistle that loudly?" Mae asked.

"Since I could walk because I'm special."

"Yeah, in more ways than one." Tyler reached over and poked Mae in the side. She flinched and jumped away. "I hate you."

He grinned at her charmingly and said, "I love you too."

After a few minutes of waiting in the cold the pegasus finally circled overhead and landed before them. Tyler climbed one immediately and gathered a bit of mane in his hands. "You coming?" he asked.

"Why can't we shadow travel instead?" she asked. "It's much faster that way."

"I don't think you can handle long distances like that just yet," he said and reached out his hand for her. "I promise I won't hurt you." He paused and turned to the pegasus as if hearing it speak. "And she won't hurt you either."

"You're starting to sound like my brother." Mae sighed, out of options she took Tyler's hand and jumped onto the beast latching herself onto Tyler immediately.

"We haven't even started moving yet."

Mae shut her eyes. "Just start flying."

Tyler urged the pegasus forward. She walked at first but broke into a canter and spread out her dazzling white wings and took off into the starry sky. Mae kept her eyes shut the entire time. She wasn't afraid of heights, if that's what you think. It's been years since she's been on a pegasus. The feeling is still a little weird for her. Plus children of death like to stay close to the ground. It's closer to where the Underworld is so in times of danger to can call up an army of the undead to protect themselves with. That's the reason why Mae doesn't like flying on pegasai. It's not the greatest way of travelling.

A few hours into the ride Mae finally opened her eyes. She didn't see any patches of white reflecting the early sun's rays so obviously they were farther south than they had been a few hours ago.

"How much further do we have to go?" she asked.

Tyler turned his head so she could hear him better. "We'll be there within a few minutes. Just hang on tightly we'll be going down soon." She took his advice to heart and gripped him tightly as the pegasus began to descend. She could see the camp now. And something was definitely going on. Campers were becoming centralized at the dining hall while the wolves seemed to be in a panic. Barking and yipping at each other. Lupa was pacing at the front of the dining hall as the campers took their places at their appropriate benches. Tyler forced the pegasus to land around that area. It obeyed and landed at the edge of the dining hall. Mae jumped off and ran to her table. Tyler walked over to his and took his seat.

There was much whispering and murmuring amongst the campers as they took their seats. Lupa sat at the front and waited for the campers to quiet down. They eventually did respectfully and waited for their leader to speak.

"Campers," she said. "There is much we have to talk about this morning. As most of you know a large raiding party swept upon the camp last night. Taking the border patrol by surprise and charging upon the cabins in full force. I regret to say they took us by surprise and the raid was successful in the end. But to those of you who fought against them, preventing them from taking any more campers, I thank you for your services. Now with that out of the way, I invite Brian son of Apollo to come up and give us the final tally of those who were taken." Lupa moved off to the side as an African American teen stepped up to the front.

"Yo," he said, "I'm Brian, obviously, and I'm the new head counsellor of the Apollo cabin. Sad to say but the previous one, Liam was taken last night in the raid. K, so I've tallied up all of those who went missing last night and I'm going to read out the names so you know who is missing. Starting in alphabetical order according to the cabins, Liam and Rebecca of Apollo, Christy of Bacchus, Ryan and Leroy of Ceres, Jess of Mars, Burt of Mercury, Sally and Markus of Minerva, Chloe of Pluto." Mae looked towards the Pluto table. Zach was there with his head down on his arms on the table. After being together for not even two weeks his sister was taken from him. "Trish of Trivia, and those from the Loner, uh, I mean, Single Cabin, Mary, Joan, Simon, and Finn. A grand total of fifteen people were captured last night. And that's about it."

"Thank you, Brian," said Lupa. "You may go back to your table." Brian left the center of the room as Lupa took her spot again. "Because of last night's events I have decided to step up defenses around the cabin area. Since we have no idea of how the raiders are breaking their way through the magical border we have to take extra precautions. The Vulcan and Minerva cabins are teaming up to lay out traps around the cabins and near the border. They will show you all how to avoid them. The border patrol will be doubled, no questions asked about it. Until we have everything accomplished this is the best we can do. And to remind all of you next week Wednesday is Assessment day. Train hard, soldiers, train hard." Lupa trotted off to the wolves. Nature spirits and fauns came out and set up the tables for breakfast. The demigods surged forward and set up several lines collecting their rations for this meal. They scraped off part of their meals into the fire pit in the center of the room. Mae knew it was futile to scrape off her meal for the gods. No matter what they never listened to their children's desperate prayers to protect them from the raiders might. Still it was customary to do it so Mae walked over and scraped a little bit of her meal into the fire and said, "For Libintia, the only goddess who actually cares about us." She walked back to her table and sat down.

Fifteen demigods in one night. That must have been one large raiding party. It usually took two raiders to capture one Roman demigod. So if her math calculations were correct the raiding party would have been at least thirty large. Boy that was huge. Mae wondered why they would have such a large raiding party. They never attacked in groups that large. It wasn't their style. Then she thought some more about it. Luke. That could be right. Luke lost thirty demigods in one night, all thanks to Mae. He was a man of persuasion. Convincing the raiders to attack in numbers was all by him. He was trying to build up his army again.

Mae finished her breakfast slowly. She didn't have much of an appetite today. The whole camp was in a depressing mood today. It was going to be hard to stay focused today. Plus the stress of Assessment day was added to the demigods worry. Oh boy, this was not a good mix.

She looked up at Zach who didn't move at all yet. He laid his head on the table. Once everyone finished their meals and walked off to their cabins to get ready for training Mae took the advantage to go over and comfort Zach since she knew him from the ship and losing his sister and being a son of Pluto was not a good mix. More of his friends, or more specifically the Bounty Hunters, came as well and sat around him. Mae was pulled aside before she could reach him and was pulled into a tight embrace. She squirmed out of the hug and looked to see who it was. Eric took a step back to give her some space.

"I thought you were taken in a raid last week. You all of the sudden just left without a word," he said and stepped forward again taking her back into his arms. Mae wrapped her arms around him and returned the hug.

"Sorry about not telling you but it was sort of last minute," she said and they both stepped back from each other. "I had to find some answers before I started training again and now I find out that Assessment day is week already. I have a lot to catch up on."

"Well maybe we could train together in our spare time," he said.

"Yeah, maybe. Come on, I think Zach needs some words of encouragement."

They joined the other Bounty Hunters around Zach trying to get him talk. He still had his head down on the table, his dark hair falling in his dark eyes but he didn't seem to care. He sat there motionless ignoring those around him.

"Come on, Zach," Joel said. "Talk to us, you can't ignore us forever. You know how annoying Sid can be when you're like this." Sid nodded and smiled.

Zach finally lifted his head off the table. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were stained with tears. "You want to know how she was taken last night? She left the cabin to go to the bathroom a few minutes before the raiding party broke into camp. I couldn't sleep well that night so I was awake the whole time. I waited for her to return. But she didn't. I got out of my bed and looked out the door. It was dead quiet in the camp. I couldn't hear the monsters in the woods howling or anything. Then the raiders arrived. They entered the cabins and came out carrying demigods from many of the cabins. Those who weren't taken took up arms and chased down the raiders into the woods. I raced after them looking for Chloe. I heard her scream. She was in the arms of a raider being carried away. She screamed my name just like what I did when I was first captured."

He slammed his fist down onto the table and stood up, his knuckles were turning white. "I wanted to go after her," he yelled and walked towards the edge of the dining hall. "I wanted to go after and kill the raider that took her from me. I would've done it too if it weren't for the damn son of Jupiter, Jason Grace. He held me back and told me there was nothing I could do for her. I turned on him and nearly chopped his head off. The others held me back and dragged me to the Wolf House where I was put under guard by the wolves to calm down. I asked Jason what he would do if it was his sister. He said he would stay back, knowing his sister wouldn't want him to be captured as well." He was starting to become a little hysterical at this point. A child of the Big Three was dangerous especially when they're emotionally distraught.

"And what about the gods?" he asked them. "They don't give a damn about us! They sit there on their thrones and watch as we suffer." The sky rumbled above them. "They don't care about us. If they did they would actually help us out once in a while. They would send someone or something to help us defend ourselves. But no they don't. They don't freaking care about us at all!"

"Zach," Joel warned, "remember you're fatal flaw, don't hold grudges."

"Don't give that to me, Whitman!" he said, his eyes growing darker by the minute. "Just leave me alone, for once in your life leave me be." Zach finished his rant and walked out of the dining hall, the grass turning black wherever his feet touched the ground.

None of them went after him. None of them spoke to each other as they watched the distraught son of Pluto stalk off to his cabin and slam the door shut. To those of them who knew him well they would eventually say that Zachary Marshall, son of Pluto, a Bounty Hunter was never the same again.

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><p><strong>Well? A little boring? A little crappy? I don't care, just review please. I need some feedback. The action will start to pick up in a few chapters so hang on take it easy.<strong>


	27. Chapter 27

**Another day another chapter. Sort of a boring chapter but I had fun writing it. Action picks up again next chapter. Believe me, it gets better.**

**Disclaimer: Why do I have to do these stupid things every chapter? OH yeah, to keep reminding you guys (as well as myself) that I don't own any of this except my characters and plot line.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter Twenty Seven<p>

It was the night before Assessment day and Mae was the archery range with Brian son of Apollo getting some last minute practice in before it was lights out. Assessment day took place twice a year, once at the beginning and once half way through the year. It was Lupa's way of whittling out the weaker ones and building up a stronger army. She rarely kicked out campers any more. All of them were determined to become stronger fighters to defeat a common goal, to defeat the raiders. Every aspect of training was involved such as running, hand to hand combat, sword fighting, and archery. The senior campers, or the campers who were leaving camp for good at the end of this year, led the assessments. Every demigod had to take part in the assessments. They were split up into their categories, beginners, intermediates, and seniors, and were assessed by the senior campers. In order to stay at camp you had to better or match your last assessment score. Those who scored less had one week to step up their game and prove they were worthy to stay at camp for another year. They were assessed separately and if they proved their worth they could stay at camp. If they didn't, they were ordered to pack their things and leave the camp immediately. They rarely happened though. It only happened if the demigods were sick of their life and wanted to start a mortal life, a regular life.

Mae was with Brian trying to get her arrow to actually go on the target. So far she's had no luck. She was for sure going to get a low mark on this skill.

"Okay," said Brian, "let's try this again. Place your arrow on the string; now pull back so your hand is near your ear. Okay, good, now keep your arm steady. Okay, release the arrow." Mae released the arrow and it took off to the one target that was lit up by torches on either side of it so Mae could actually see it. It thumped into the target on the very edge of it. "Well, at least you hit it."

"That's as close as I'll bet to the bull's eye," she said and lowered her bow. "Thanks for trying to help me out."

"No problem," he said and handed her the last arrow. "I doubt we'll find most of the arrows again but at least you're trying. Here, last arrow then we can go to bed."

Mae took the slender arrow and fitted it to her string. She pulled back to get a better grip on it but lost the tip of the arrow sending it straight down into her foot. She cursed and screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. Brian dropped down beside her and told her to calm down. Mae took in deep breaths and released them slowly as Brian went straight to work on taking out the arrow. He yanked it out quickly and pulled off Mae's shoe and sock to take a closer look at the wound. Oh no, Mae couldn't let him see this. She protested as he pulled her sock off and saw the wound close itself up and heal leaving behind a splotch of dry blood behind.

"What the heck just happened?" he asked and stared at her foot. "Philos."

"What," Mae asked and sat up pulling on her bloody sock and shoe. "Did you just say Philos?"

"Yes, everyone knows about Philos and the Guardian. You are just like Philos. You're a Fate Temptress aren't you?"

Mae didn't feel like talking. She wanted to keep her little ability a secret but that wasn't going to work here. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a Fate Temptress. And I would like it if you kept this to yourself. I don't want everyone freaking out about this."

"That's fine with me," he said and looked at her foot in awe. "What's your purpose then?

"My what?"

"Your purpose, like Philos' purpose to free the mythical Guardian dragon. What's your purpose?"

"I think it's to end slavery forever. I know it's a little far fetched but it's something I've always thought about."

Brian stood up helping Mae to her feet. "Do you have a plan yet?"

Mae shook her head. "I only found out I was like this a few weeks ago. I don't even know where to start yet. Plus I promised someone I would train for a while before I did anything Fate Temptress-y. Besides I have a lot to plan before I go to the Living Underworld. Such as learning how to kill a raider."

"Maybe we can ask one of the Minerva kids. They're bound to have some information on raiders. They are bookworms after all."

Mae picked up her bow and started to walk to the cabins. Brian followed with his bow in hand. "I think that's a good place to start. Hey, Brian." Brian turned to her. "Once I have a plan, want to join me on my life's purpose?"

"Killing raiders and defeating evil?" he said and grinned flashing Mae those pearly white teeth that all Apollo children had. "What could be better?"

_Two people joining me on my quest, _Mae thought, _Check._

* * *

><p>Assessment day came and everyone was excited to show what they learned this year. They all ate breakfast quickly and immediately went off to their cabins to change into shorts and t-shirts. They began their warm ups with stretching, jumping jacks, pushups, sit ups, and everything else in between. Mae walked up to the list posted at the dining hall to see where she would start off for the assessments. Since she considered herself to be part of the Loner Cabin she followed their routine. They would start off at running, then hand to hand combat, swords, and last but not least, archery. She shuddered at the thought of what her score was going to be for that category.<p>

Nine o'clock rolled around and everyone split up into their cabins and walked off to the assessment stations. For running they would be doing the Beep Test. They would run from one line to another line fifteen yards away. They would have to run to each line between beeps. They would have to make it to the other line before the beep sounded. If they missed the beep or were too tired they would drop out and let the others finish the test. For beginners they would have to make at least forty to fifty repetitions to pass the assessment. Intermediates would have to complete a minimum of eighty and the seniors would have to complete at least one hundred.

The senior campers, with their clip boards, started roll call making sure no one was skipping the assessments. Once they were sure everyone was there one of the seniors turned on the beeper and the campers broke out into simple jogs running to the line by the beep and then back to the other line. Slowly the beeps became closer together and the campers had to run faster to keep in time. Campers slowly dropped out of the running field maxing out at their limit. Mae reached eighty-three repetitions and dropped out exhausted and out of breath. She walked it off preventing her leg muscles from cramping up. She grabbed a water bottle for the cooler and poured most of it on her head, cooling her off and then drinking some of it replenishing the liquid her body was sweating out.

Once the last the camper dropped out the beep test was complete and the demigods were free to take a few minutes breather before going on to the next assessment, hand to hand combat. They made their way to the Coliseum that was split in two sections for sword training and combat training. Mae took off her shoes as did many others. It was easier to fight without shoes she found. They were split into categories then paired off. Mae was paired off with a girl her own age and height. It would be a fair fight between everyone.

Mae let the girl take the first swing blocking her by grabbing her wrist threatening to break it if need be. The girl kicked at Mae's gut. Mae let go her wrist and grabbed her ankle twisting it so she lost her balance and fell onto the ground. The girl kicked out Mae's legs sending her to the ground. The girl pounced on Mae's back holding an arm around her neck trying to make her pass out. Mae opened her mouth and bit down on the girl's arm hard enough to draw blood. She let go of Mae and rolled off standing up immediately. Mae stood as well and rushed forward and grabbed both of the girl's outstretched arms at the wrists. She brought the girl's arms up and kicked her in the stomach sending her to the ground, winded.

A senior blew a whistle ending the first of five rounds. They all took a breather before being paired up with someone different. After the rounds were done and everyone was assessed the nectar and ambrosia was taken out and offered to anyone with any injuries. Some had a few fractured wrists and ankles, and one had a few broken ribs that had to be attended to by a medic from the Apollo cabin. Tyler was down on the ground with a broken nose. He was given ambrosia and sat up slowly and was offered more ambrosia to start the healing process. He took it and left the arena to go clean up his bloodied face. Other than that no other serious injuries were found.

Sword training was next. Everyone was allowed to go and get their swords from their cabins. Jason Grace just took out a coin and flipped it in the air transforming it into a sword. Mae ran off to gather her Stygian iron sword. She ran back to the Coliseum and waited with the rest until the Coliseum was filled.

Mae was paired off with Eric who was using a practice sword. They bowed to each other as it was customary to do so before a match began. They circled each other and brought up their swords.

"So, Mr. Bounty Hunter," Mae said as they continued to circle each other. "Prepared to lose to a lowly slave?"

"Not in particular, but I am prepared to lose to a beautiful young lady," he said and smiled. He took the opportunity to swipe at Mae as she was dazed at he said.

"Trying to distract me are you, Mr. Azalea," she said and parried. She lunged and he blocked.

"Well, Ms. Admiral, that wasn't the first intent but I guess it could also work that way too." She swung at his head and he ducked. No way was he going to win this round with flattery. Or maybe he did think she was beautiful. No, no, she wouldn't let herself become distracted during this fight.

They continued their bloodthirsty dance around the Coliseum. Eric took a swipe at her knees. Mae jumped over the blade and brought it down upon his head. He blocked but fell to the ground at a disadvantage. She attacked him ruthlessly from there until she hit his sword hilt and twisted his sword out from his grip flinging it far away from his grip. He stopped and laid on the ground in defeat with a Stygian iron blade at his throat.

"I believe you win this round, Ms. Admiral," he said as the whistle blew overhead. "Now could you please take your sword away and make your eyes stop glowing. You're scaring me."

Mae laughed and brought down her sword helping Eric to his feet. "At least you can admit you're scared of me."

"Who wouldn't admit it?" he asked and picked up his sword. "You're death and you're eyes glow red. You'd make anyone scared of you without even trying."

"Aww you just know how to make me happy." She hugged him and he hesitantly returned it. She walked away leaving a shocked Eric behind.

"See? You being happy is the scariest of all."

Mae only laughed and paired off with someone else for the next round. Teasing Eric was her having a little bit of fun.

* * *

><p>She stepped into her cabin after taking a quick shower eager to have a quick nap before dinner. Archery went just as she thought it would be, horrible. She shot a senior cabin in the back of the leg and pegged two arrows into the trees before firing her last and final arrow into the target. Luck was definitely on her side this day. By some divine force her arrow struck the bull's eye earning her some good points. She narrowly squeaked by archery this Assessment day. Just wait until the next one. She'll fail archery and be kicked out of camp. Oh well, by that time her six months will be up and she'll be free to complete her life's purpose.<p>

A knock came at her door. Mae went over to answer it. The camper handed her a slip of paper and walked off to the next cabin. Her assessment grades were back. Each category was scored out of ten.

Running: 6/10

Combat: 7/10

Sword: 10/10 (Was that a big surprise though?)

Archery: 3/10

She passed with flying colors on most categories. If she could keep her archery at a three she would honestly not care. Archery was not her best skill.

Dinner came and everyone was excited that they passed. No one was given the 'talk' about one last week. Of course the camp couldn't afford to even lose one single camper. The threat of the raiders was growing. Camp numbers were down to eighty and were falling rapidly. It was becoming harder and harder to survive. Everyone knew that the threat of Kronos was growing. The clouds around Mount Tam were growing darker by the day. As long as everyone kept their heads in the game they could survive this threat. Everyone needed each other. No demigod went out alone at night. They always walked in pairs and kept weapons close at hand.

Mae went to bed that night with a queasy feeling. She was starting to doubt her ability. What if she couldn't defeat the raiders? She would just be letting everyone down. She was already putting Tyler and Brian into danger by telling them of her secret. Maybe she would better off alone on this quest. No, she couldn't do that, she promised John. She tossed and turned on her bed not feeling sleepy. This was going to be a very long six months.

* * *

><p><strong>Boring I know but the action picks up again next chapter. Until then have a cookie made by the fiends. I made sure they didn't poison them this time, I swear!<strong>


	28. Chapter 28

**Longest chapter yet people! A total of 5,442 worse excluding A/N! YIPPE! And might I add really exciting. So this kind of doubles as two chapters so I might not update until further in the week so enjoy while it lasts!**

* * *

><p>Chapter Twenty Eight<p>

Winter faded to spring as Proserpina returned to the world to bring back its life and color after being trapped in the Underworld for a few months. The sun stayed up much longer offering more time to train for the Romans. Life was a constant battle in their eyes. It always had to be managed and tamed so they could actually live to an old age. Of course old age was a rare thing in the demigod life. Mae wondered if she would reach old age. Jason was thirty already but he gave up on his demigod life. His scent wouldn't be as strong as it used to be. She shook her head. Being what she is she shouldn't hope for such foolish things.

Mae walked through the camp looking at the new watch towers set up by Vulcan and Minerva cabins. Four torches were on each corner of the towers constantly lit by fire. The Trivia cabin added their own personal touches to the towers by adding runes of protection and strength on the towers to reinforce the magical border surrounding the camp. So far it seemed to work. The raiders haven't attacked since the night they took fifteen campers. And one of those fifteen was one Mae had to rescue first.

Zach's sister was taken that night also. Since then he's become withdrawn from the camp. He doesn't care what people think about him anymore. He doesn't speak to them either even if they stare at him and point at him. He'll just stay away from them, usually in his cabin away from their prying eyes. Now he was the typical son of Pluto, only wearing black and barely speaking to the living. Mae's heard rumours from other campers that he might go off and live with his father in the Underworld, where he belongs. She's defended Zach, though. Just because he was a son of death didn't mean he should be an outcast. She dismissed all the rumours and watched over him even if he didn't notice her. Finally, one day she had enough of his silent attitude as did his few friends. She went up to his cabin and walked right in without even knocking. He was there lying on his bed looking like he was sleeping like he was always found.

"What do you want?" he whispered after hearing her footsteps squeak on the floorboards.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," she said and sat down on the bed across from him. "You haven't spoken to anyone in a few days. Everyone's worried about you."

"I doubt everyone would worry about me," he said and turned his head away from her. "I'm just a sulking son of Pluto who everyone thinks belongs in the underworld because like everyone knows the dead don't mix with the living."

"Well then I should join you," Mae said. "I'm a daughter of death as well just in case you have forgotten. Come on, Zach, talk to me. I know what you're going through."

He stirred and sat up on his bed, his back turned towards Mae. She rolled her eyes. Couldn't boys talk about their feelings at least once in their life? It's not that difficult, honestly. She stood up and sat beside him. His hair grew longer through the six months that passed from Chloe's capture to now. It was nearly touching his shoulders.

"Everyone says they know what I'm going through but they don't," he said and tear rolled down his cheek. He flicked it off and stared at the floor. "They try to understand but they can't. They try to comfort me but nothing ever will. Nothing can help me, Mae, especially not you."

"You don't know my life story do you?" she asked. He shook his head lightly. "Well then here goes. One of my brothers was killed before me, and another was sold right along with me the day I was captured. When you guys took me off the Andromeda one day to collect slaves for Luke I hadn't seen my brother in over six years. He could've been dead by then but it would be great if I got to see him just once, just so I could put my mind at ease knowing he was still alive. So we were there in the market, you guys were doing whatever with the auctioneer person guy and I was standing in front of the slave pen where I've been so many times."

"And what you're going to say next is you saw your brother," he said.

"Yes, yes I did. And then I watched him being brought up onto the platform and sold before my very eyes. To me that was like losing my brother all over again especially since I had no idea where he was going or if he was going to be sold again so I would never find him. Does this story make you feel better?"

"Not really," he admitted quietly.

"Good me neither," Mae said and finished her story.

"But Chloe's all alone out there," he said and looked towards Mae. "She won't know what to do or how to survive out there. What if one of her masters kills her or beats her?"

"From my experience masters don't kill their slaves unless if they are sick and beyond the aid of nectar and ambrosia. And they only beat slaves when they get way out of hand. Like me, I was whipped because I tried to escape. That's to be considered way out of hand. Besides, your sister is probably as tough as you. She'll know how to survive there. Slaves look out for each other. She'll be taken care of."

Zach was quiet for a while taking it all in. All he wanted to do was protect his sister from harm. It was the reason why he made her hide in one of the closets at their mortal house with their mom and now fake dad. He made her hide as he was taken by the raiders that night. That's all he wanted to do, he just wanted to protect her.

"I've seen so many abuse cases before," he said quietly. "Being a Bounty Hunter it comes with the territory. Slaves who are starved to the brink of death, slaves with backs torn open and infection setting in because of their master's whip, slaves being abandoned because they don't make good slaves, I've even seen a suicide case once. I don't want that to be Chloe's fate. She wasn't meant for this life of scars and the harsh desert sand and… and no shoes."

"No demigod is meant for a life without shoes," Mae agreed. "I tell you, it was the worst six years of my life. All I wanted was my shoes. If I had those I would slave away and obey anyone. But no they had to burn them. Sometimes I hate raiders."

"Who doesn't hate them?" he said and folded his hands together. "You think she'll be okay?

Mae didn't pay attention as she saw a spider scuttle across the floor to one of the corners. What would happen if she was bit by a very poisonous spider? Mae had to try.

"Mae!" Zach snapped grabbing Mae's attention away from the spider.

"Sorry," she said. "Spider, ADHD, demigod, you know, all the wrong combinations. Did you say something?"

Zach rolled his eyes. "Do you think Chloe will be okay?"

"Well, what do you think, 'cause I honestly don't know anything about your sister, sad to say."

"I-I think she'll be okay. She's strong enough to take care of herself."

"Isn't that all that matters? Now come on let's go to the Coliseum I know Joel has been waiting to pound you in a sword match."

He smiled but shook his head. "I need more time yet."

"You've had six months!" she said. "How much more time?"

"I don't know yet. Just give me a few more days. Tell Joel I'm looking forward to that sword match."

"If he kills you in your sleep because you didn't come out to face him you can't blame me when I get to the Underworld for not trying." She stood up and left the cabin feeling as if she kind of accomplished something. Or maybe she made things worse. Well at least she got Zach talking again. Now if she could only convince him to get a haircut maybe she could consider that to be her life's purpose. Make Zach get a haircut. Screw the raiders. No, no Mae couldn't do that. It wouldn't feel right. Besides she could always bribe a few Venus kids to kidnap Zachary and cut his hair, but then they might start accessorizing him. Mad shuddered and put the thought away.

With that accomplished Mae still had some time to herself before dinner. Maybe she could challenge Ben to a fight. That would be interesting. Ben always had a sense of dumb luck about him. For example, Mae would trip on a stone, a very small stone that was in the Coliseum sending her sword flying off in one direction, and then Ben (being the ditzy person that he is) would look down at Mae on the ground, smile that stupid smile and point his sword at her throat without even doing one simple thing. Being a son of Mithras definitely had advantages to it.

Apparently the Fates had something else planned out for Mae. Of course they didn't control her anymore but they certainly controlled everything else. As she walked towards the Coliseum a blur of black and brown fur tore after Mae and jumped on her back making her fall onto the grass. She rolled onto her back and her face was met by an extremely large, pink, and wet tongue.

"Ewww," Mae complained trying to push the monster off of her. "Dog breath, Cooper, get off of me. Please. Help! I'm being mauled by a seven month old dog. Help!"

Her rescuer came to her aid in form of a sharp whistle. Cooper stopped licking her face and sat perfectly on the ground acting like the most innocent dog in the world. He wagged his tail on the ground and seemed to be smiling. Mae sat up and looked up at the person strolling towards her.

"You need to learn how to control your dog," she said to Tyler and stood up. "He's a little out of hand."

"As if you would know," he said and stroked Cooper behind the ears. "You're not the one training."

"As if I would have the patience for training that mongrel. Stand still for a second," she said and walked behind him.

"What why? Hey what are you doing?" Mae started rubbing her face all over the back of Tyler's shirt trying to dry her face off of the dog slobber. "Thanks a lot; this only happens to be my favourite shirt."

"Suck it up, Anderson; you're the one who caused this. There, all dry."

"I appreciate that a lot," he said and fished out a dog treat for Cooper. "Now I'm going to smell like dog the rest of the day."

"It's not that bad," she said. "I sleep with that beast."

Tyler tossed Copper the treat in the air and watched him as he jumped up and caught it. "I don't know why he favours you over me. I'm the one who actually shows affection to him."

"Maybe it's because I smell like the Underworld and technically that's where he's supposed to be."

"I think you're just spoiling him," he said and took out a tennis ball from his pocket and threw it for Cooper who tore after it.

"You keep thinking that," Mae answered and began to walk down the hill to the Minerva cabin to see if Matt found any useful information about the raiders.

Matt was probably the oddest camper at Camp Half Blood. For one thing he had a severe case of OCD and is an extreme mysophobe (someone who is scared of contamination and germs). He wasn't the best fighter but the only reason why Lupa kept him at camp was because he was a great military strategist. He was also one of the people behind the planning of the watch towers and was credited by perfecting the safety system of camp. He mostly spent his time in his cabin at his desk writing down random equations and other scientific mumbo jumbo that was complete spaghetti noodles to Mae. The reason why Mae decided to have him do the research on the raiders was because he was the smartest person in the cabin (and that's saying a lot when you a child of Minerva), and when he wasn't saving the camp he was usually found cramming random knowledge into his already filled brain.

She walked up to the plain gray structure decorated with on owl above the doorway. There were a few Minerva kids already in the cabin but all of them had their noses in their books or were more interested in re-studying Einstein's light equation. Mae's brain hurt just from standing under the doorframe. Matt was at his desk under the window as usual. He was reading a large book on Quantum Physics and didn't notice Mae until she started looking through the papers on his desk.

"NO!" he said. "Don't touch anything!" He opened a drawer and took out a large bottle of hand sanitizer. Mae rolled her eyes as he gave her some and ordered her to cleanse her hands thoroughly before touching anything. "That's better, now what is it that you want?"

"Raider info," she said and sat down on the nearest bed. All of the beds were pushed against the walls. If they didn't think sleep wasn't important they were the real loonies of this camp.

"Right," he said and slammed his large book shut and set it down with a mighty thump on his desk. He sorted through the many stacks of papers all sorted by colour. He carefully pulled a piece of paper out and set it down on his desk. "Ah, here it is, 'Everything You Need to Know about Raiders' by the Brilliant Matt Lansens."

"And that would be the hubris kicking in," Mae said quietly. Matt didn't seem to notice and gave the sheet to Mae. She scanned it quickly and read the most important parts. Let's see, raiders are all seven feet tall, humanoid in appearance, brown, leathery skin, like to eat meat especially pegasus meat, like to make demigod lives miserable (obviously), wear brown robes, carry many weapons doesn't matter what kind, bleed sand and reform, if dissected a mask must be worn at all times since their insides are all rotten and stink like a dead pig in the sun. "So they bleed sand?" she asked.

"Well, being children of Gaea they are formed from the earth. If they earth is still alive, and last time I checked it was, then they are still alive. They only way you can kill them by yourself is by getting them off the ground so the sand can't crawl back up them and heal them. Get them off the ground and you can kill a raider. If they are standing on the ground you are screwed."

"Well what about the Guardian?" she asked hoping it would be a little easier to kill a raider.

"Couldn't find anything about it besides being told about in Philos and the Guardian," he said and stacked up his papers. "I may be wrong on this, and that's hard to say, but it appears as if the Guardian doesn't exist. It's just a story plot to make Philos' life sound more exciting. I seriously can't find anything more about the Guardian. Sorry to crush your hopes and dreams."

"That's okay it was a long shot anyway." She gave Matt back his paper and rubbed her neck nervously as she looked around the room to see if anyone was in ear shot of what she was going to say next. She spoke in a very quiet tone. "What do you think of my plan?"

Matt frowned and sharpened a pencil. "To be honest, I thought it was a very good plan but there are gaps in it. Have you told anyone else about this?"

Mae shook her head. "Only you, Tyler, and Brian. I don't want this to get out anymore than it already is. Besides, the less people who know the better. I'm already putting you in danger by telling you."

"You know I can take care of myself."

Mae stared at him sceptically. "Really? And this comes from the guy who can't even lift a sword."

"I can always scream for help plus I can climb trees really well," he said. "Maybe we should spend some more time on your plan before you leave. By the way, when do you plan to leave?"

Mae shrugged. "Maybe July, I think that would be a good time, plus Cooper would be a little more well trained in July. He's a little rambunctious right now."

"That would be an excellent idea. Ever since I heard you got a hybrid dog I've been scared to leave the cabin."

"Like you would actually leave the cabin anyway."

"Can we please discuss my plan now?"

"Fine." Matt pulled out the paper where Mae hastily scribbled down the rough draft of her plan. For the rest of the free time until dinner Matt ironed out the wrinkles in Mae's original plan. She knew it was a little bit rash to think of such a thing but she was afraid she may bring more harm to everyone around her. She would have to start this plan soon. Who knew when the next big raid might be?

* * *

><p>At dinner the two names were drawn for Friday night's Gladiator match. Two skilled fighters over the age of sixteen would face each other in the Coliseum during Friday night instead of a campfire. Despite the raids and the fact that they were losing kids instead of gaining, the campers were in a good mood. With dinner finished and everyone hyped for tomorrow night's match. Lupa bounded up in front of the demigods and everyone quieted down out of respect.<p>

"Campers," she spoke, "tonight we draw two lucky campers to face each other in the Coliseum. The winner will be excused from camp duties for one full week while the loser must take up the winner's duties as well as their own. I call up Joseph Burke to choose the two names of the lucky candidates."

Joseph Burke, one of the senior counsellors, stepped up with a black bag filled with slips of names. He stuck his hand into the bag and read the name off the slip. "Our first lucky candidate is Tomas O'Toole from the Mars cabin." The whole Mars table exploded into cheers. After being here for a few months Mae has seen Tomas fight, and he was one of the toughest fighters around. "Our second lucky candidate is Anna Morley from the Single cabin, daughter of Poena goddess of punishment." Mae's seen Anna in action before. She was a tough fighter and as taken on a few Mars campers before. She knew how and where to attack someone. She would definitely make sure to keep Tomas busy.

"We have our two champions," Lupa announced. "The match takes place tomorrow at eight. Be prepared, my heroes, rest easy for tomorrow."

Dinner was officially finished and the campers dwindled off to the fire pit for the long awaited camp fire. It always had a calming effect on the campers. It also reminded them the importance of having friendships and sticking together in times of trouble. They needed each now more than ever.

Once the silly songs were done and everyone was tired out from the day everyone went to their cabins for the night. Mae dressed into a pair of shorts and ratty t-shirt for the night. She was so worried to what her plan might bring. Would it fail miserably or would it succeed? The stress of everything was twisting Mae's stomach into knots making it painful to eat and drink. She had to get some sleep. Sleep usually made everything better. In Mae's case it did.

So she slept for a few hours, on and off but at least she was sleeping. Then came the screams, terrible, high pitched screams that jerked Mae out of her sleep and out of her warm bed. She would know that kind of scream anywhere. Her dreams would be plagued with those screams of terror for the next few years.

Her body went on autopilot as she grabbed Death Seeker from the floor and went charging outside. Several other campers emerged from their cabins and went racing towards the nearest watch tower which was now a blazing inferno. Cloaked figures were near the border, some were running towards it dragging forward slumped figures, some large, some small, and one was screaming in sheer terror. Mae ran forward to the nearest cloaked figure knowing what it was, a stinking raider. She took her sword and swung at the raider's head chopping it clean off from its shoulders. It thumped to the ground and the body fell, trickling sand. She picked up the head and tossed it as far from the body as possible. That might stop the raider from rising quickly. An unconscious demigod lay at her feet with a large gash on her forehead.

The scream came again further up the hill. A young girl barely the age of seven was trapped in the arms of a raider. Mae let her eyes grow red in the dark. She chanted a few words in Latin and the ground started to shake. She held forth her sword as the ground split open and up popped five soldiers of the undead, or zombies if you want to get technical. The advantage to having zombies instead of skeletons for warriors is the fact that zombies will keep fighting even if they are completely disassembled and are just random body parts scattered all over the ground. They zombies walked off, or stumbled or something, towards the raiders distracting them from Mae. She felt a little weak at first but shook her head to clear the daze and charged forward, she had to save that little girl; she couldn't let her be taken by the raiders. She had a lot of life left to live.

The zombies did whatever they were doing with waving their swords around and stumbling towards the advancing raiders while Mae charged after the little girl. The other campers engaged in battle as well white trying to put out the fire. The raiders saw they were losing the battle and decided to retreat past the border, carrying the little girl and another camper as well. Mae didn't stop running until she was pulled back by someone.

"No!" she screamed and kicked out at the person grabbing her. "I have to save that little girl! I have to save her, I know I can!"

"Mae!" Eric yelled at her. "They're gone. They're all gone, Mae."

Mae stopped struggling and took in deep breaths to calm herself. Her eyes were still glowing red and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Eric gripped her hands and looked in her eyes despite the fact that they scared him.

"Mae, you did everything you can," he said calmly. "You saved one camper from the raiders. That's something you should be proud of."

Mae took in a deep breath. "I thought I could save that little girl though. I had a terrible life when I was enslaved. I wanted to prevent that from happening. Now that girl is going to give up on life and from ever being rescued."

"She'll be fine, Mae, slaves look after each other, remember?" Eric rubbed her shoulder to calm her. It somewhat worked as the glow in her eyes faded.

"I have to go now," she said and sheathed her sword and jogged away from Eric. She's never been so angry in all her life. The gods, yes, the gods were to blame from this. They could at least act like they cared about them.

Mae ran to the pegasus stables and opened one of the stalls leading out one of the stallions and into the very early morning air. He snorted in protest as she mounted his back and nudged him in the sides. He obeyed and started to take off. Mae didn't care if she hated flying but she couldn't shadow travel all the way to Mount Olympus without exhausting her completely. If the pegasus flew hard throughout the day she might just make it to Olympus in time for the Summer Solstice Meeting. This was certainly going to grab the gods' attention.

Lupa would be ticked at Mae for leaving without permission but this could not wait. Mae was too furious to stay behind and train even more. Tyler was right. Where did all this training get her? Nowhere. She couldn't even rescue a young girl from a terrible fate. She had to confront the gods about this problem.

The pegasus flew throughout the night and through the day. It flew fast and hard obeying Mae's urgent nudges to fly to Olympus. All the Olympians had to be there to hear her message. Even if she was blasted out of the sky by Jupiter's master lightning bolt maybe her death could start something.

The pegasus flew lower and lower and was breathing hard, she didn't have much time left before this thing crashed to the ground. She nudged the stallion down to the ground. It gratefully accepted and stumbled to the ground. Mae slipped off his back and stroked the stallion's neck gratefully before sending him away.

Mae started to run towards the east, towards Olympus. No shadows were around her yet, she had no idea where she was, and she had no idea how far away Olympus was. Who cares about that, it was already late in the afternoon; she didn't have much time left before the meeting would start and end. So she ran, and kept running until she puked on the side of the road. Even with controlling her own life the human body still had physical limitations to it.

Mae limped her way to the nearest shadow and stepped into it. She stumbled out from another tree shadow in some unknown place. She heard the honking of cars around her. Was she in Central Park? Judging from the trees and the cars and the high rise buildings all around her Mae assumed she was. The sun was getting lower in the sky. The gods must be starting their meeting now. There was no time to lose no matter how tired she was for shadow travelling from Pluto knows where.

She dashed through the forest until she crashed onto the street. She looked up in the sky looking for the Empire State Building where Olympus was located. People gave her odd looks as she was still dressed in sleeping clothes and forgot her shoes in her cabin.

Mae crashed through the front doors of the building and walked up to the front desk exhausted and dishevelled. She looked at the desk clerk and smiled. "600th floor key please."

"No such thing, little girl," he said and opened up a magazine. "Floor doesn't exist."

"Sir, I just flew all night long, shadow travelled from Pluto knows where not to be refused entry to Olympus. I'm one pissed of daughter of Libintia and if you want your funeral to go well I suggest you give me the damn key and get out of my way."

Mae smashed her open hand down on the desk staring down at the clerk whose eyes seemed to be bulging out of his head. He shakily handed her the key. Mae took it out of his hand and ran off to the elevator. She waited until it was empty to insert the key. A red button popped out. She pressed it and waited for the doors to open revealing Olympus.

It's considered to be the most beautiful places in the universe but Mae didn't seem to notice even though it was her first time being there. The minor godlings and nature spirits there all stood back as she made her way to the throne room. She felt the power of the gods emanating through the closed doors. Mae closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She opened the doors.

The gods went silent as she entered the room. They stared down at her from their large thrones and glaring eyes as she stood before them with her hand on her sword.

Jupiter, the King of the gods, stared down at Mae. "You are not allowed to be here, young demigod," he thundered. "Leave this room immediately."

"No," she said quietly but realized it was too quiet for him to hear. She spoke up a little louder. "No, I won't leave. You have to hear this."

"Why are you here, demigod?" the goddess Ceres asked.

"Um, I'm here to discuss a topic with you that you seem to ignore. The situation of the raiders and why it seems like none of you give a damn towards your own kids."

"Are you suggesting the gods are negligent towards their own kids?" Juno asked.

"I believe so," she said and swallowed feeling a drip of sweat fall down the side of her face. "If any of you cared you might actually look down at your kids for once in your life and see that we are suffering. Six months ago fifteen demigods were capture in a raid, you did nothing then, just last night two kids were captured as well. One of them wasn't even seven years old yet. Tell me why you don't care?"

"Be careful where you tread, girl," said Neptune. "We do not appreciate it when you blame us for crimes we have not been involved in."

"I can blame you all I want," Mae said loudly. "You never cared about us! If you did you would actually try to protect us from the raiders sweeping down upon us late in the night but did any of you do anything at all?" The gods and goddesses were silent. Only the crackle of the hearth could be heard in the room. "Tell me why you don't care."

"Demigod," said Jupiter, "if you have not noticed the gods care deeply about their children. They provide them a home and special abilities to train with so that you may survive and live a full life."

"Well then, we certainly haven't seen it then. I was enslaved for seven years and I didn't see anything that would suggest that you cared about us."

Lightning started to crackle around Jupiter but Mae pressed on. "Jupiter, I think you only care about your son, Jason Grace. He hasn't been enslaved yet even though he's a child of the Big Three. Zach and his sister both children of Pluto were enslaved. You favour your son above every other demigod just because he's part of the Great Prophecy. You don't care about anyone else but your own son. You selfish son of a bit-" BOOM! Jupiter's master lightning bolt returned to his hand after striking down the girl in front of him. Never in all his life had he been so humiliated and enraged by one demigod alone.

He shook with anger as his loving wife, Juno, took his hand and looked down at the fallen demigod. "The naiads will deal with the body. I have never been so humiliated in all my life as to being accused of favouring my own son. I guess this adjourns this meeting. You may all leave."

Apollo lounged in his throne as usual. These meetings were so boring sometimes. But when that demigod came through those doors he, as did all the other Olympians, knew something was going down. The poor girl didn't know what hit her. She wasn't too bad looking either. The long dark hair that was braided down her back and the determined look in her and the cute way her small chest rose and fel-... Apollo jumped up from his throne and pointed at the demigod. "Is she breathing?"

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><p><strong>Believe me, it'll be worth the wait. Please review they make me happy! :D<strong>


	29. Chapter 29

**Don't ask questions about the whole first part of the story. Just forget about it being correct and all that kind of stuff and just enjoy the chapter.**

**Warning: Evil Sue is writing the next two chapters so beware for gore and nastiness.**

**Disclaimer: I really wish I didn't have to write these things but I have too. I don't own PJO.**

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><p>Chapter Twenty Nine<p>

_The sun shined brightly down upon the grassy area before her. A river separated her from the grassy land. A bridge was set at her left. Mae took a few steps forward unsure if the bridge were safe enough to walk over. Then there were people on the other side. She took a closer look at the closest one to her, running towards the bridge. The young teen was smiling at Mae waving his hand to beckon her over. It was Chris. He was smiling at her and telling her to hurry up. He looked almost real._

_Mae ran across the long bridge spanning over the fast running river. She couldn't wait to reach Chris. It's been seven long years since she's seen him. She wanted to jump in his arms and let him tell her that finally everything would be okay._

_The others finally reached the bridge. They were all smiling at Mae asking her to join them. She saw the twins there as well, looking as happy as ever. Teresa was standing beside them waiting for Mae to join. Then she saw the person she missed the most, her father._

_Mae ran across the bridge to the other side crashing into her siblings. They hugged her and welcomed her, telling her that they all missed her dearly. She was released by all of them and jumped into her father's arms._

"_I missed you, daddy," she whispered into his ear and buried her head into his shoulder, gripping him tightly._

"_I missed you too, my crow." He kissed on the top of her head and held her close to him._

_Something tugged at Mae's waist pulling her back to the bridge. She didn't want to go. She wanted to stay here where she felt happy and relaxed. Free of worry and doubt_

"_Don't let go of me, daddy," she begged. "Don't let go of me."_

"_If you have to go," he said quietly, "you have to go. It's not your time yet. We'll be together soon. I love you, my little crow."_

_Mae unwillingly let go of her father and let the invisible force drag her away from this place and back across the bridge. She looked at her deceased family capturing their images in her mind. They smiled at her and watched her disappear._

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><p>Was that all a dream? Did she make up the whole thing because she missed her family terribly? No, no, she was dead with them. She was in Elysium with them. She would know that feeling anywhere being a daughter of death and all. But then how come she left? Wait, wait there was more. There was a chair with a large pair of electric blue socks sitting on top of it. The socks were still knitting themselves but then stopped. The thread at one part started growing thin. It frayed until all that was holding it together was one very thin thread. Time seemed to stop around the socks. Slowly, oh so slowly the frayed ends pulled themselves together one by one. It took forever until the thread was strong again and the knitting resumed.<p>

Mae was enclosed in a layer of darkness. It folded around her like a thick blanket and didn't let go of her for quite some time. Then came the light, it banished the darkness' tight grasp on Mae and warmed her icy cold bones. She couldn't breathe though. Mae started to panic. She couldn't breathe! She needed air. She opened her mouth and the fresh air swept down into her lungs. Mae gasped and took in large gulps of air. She felt better, much better. Then she rested.

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><p>The chill was gone from her bones and the exhaustion that overwhelmed her was completely gone. Mae hasn't felt this good in months. The stress was gone from her body and it seems like she hasn't had a nightmare in a very long time. Life seemed that much brighter.<p>

Her eyes, glued shut by sleep, were painfully pulled open against their will. The light was painful to look at but Mae grew used to it. She blinked a few more times trying to gain her senses. She curled her fingers into a fist. It was hard at first. They didn't respond to her command but it felt like her joints were rusted shut. Then she wiggled her toes. Okay, so all of her ligaments and appendages were still there. She felt her face for any irregularities. Let's see, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two ears on the sides of her head. Yup, everything was still there and where they should be.

She felt alive now, alive and refreshed. Wait, the dream, the socks, she nearly died. She did die. She was in Elysium with her family but then she was pulled out. Fate Temptress, her ability, she didn't wish to die so she didn't. But she almost did. What happened to her again? Let's see, camp, raiders, Olympus, the gods, pissing off Jupiter, then death, well near death. Jupiter was mad at her. She was zapped by his master lightning bolt and survived? She shouldn't have been able too. But she didn't wish to die so she didn't die, despite being zapped by the most powerful thing in the world. Jupiter was probably extra pissed off that she survived that blasting.

She tried to stretch out on whatever she was lying on but her muscles locked up and started to spasm. Someone rushed to her side and poured something into her mouth. Immediately her muscles stopped twitching and she relaxed.

"Where-" she croaked but the person in front of her shushed her.

"Go back to sleep, hero," the person said. "You need your rest."

Mae obeyed and closed her eyes for another round of sleep. After being awake for no more than five minutes her body was drained of energy. She slept.

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><p>No dreams came, no darkness enveloped her, no light came to her. Only precious sleep took over her and let her injured body rest.<p>

Mae doesn't know how long she was asleep for. It was long though, long and boring. She finally came around a long time after she first awoke. Her fingers and toes responded right away when she needed them to. Her muscles didn't spasm but they felt all rubbery after not using them for a very long time. Mae stretched out on the soft surface beneath her. She finally felt the same. She opened her eyes and rubbed out the collection of sleep in the corners of her eyes.

The room was bright and big. The ceiling was high and everything was either white or gold. A richly decorated room indeed. No one was in the room at that time. Mae was all alone on the large bed. She sprawled out upon it relaxing as much as possible. This felt nice, just to relax and think about nothing. If she wasn't in Elysium this was pretty damn close.

The large doors to the room opened, there stood a golden haired man with a serious expression written all over his face. He came into the room and stared down at Mae who was staring at the ceiling."

"Am I on Olympus?" she asked.

The man nodded. "If there's one lesson you should learn from all this it's respect the gods."

"Why should the gods have my respect? They never did anything for us."

"I must admit that we gods are sometimes negligent towards are children and that your wakeup call opened our eyes to the situation at Camp Half Blood."

"You sound like you're the first god that actually cares," she said and took in a deep breath. "Thank you, Lord Apollo that means a lot to us."

"How are you feeling right now?" he asked and pulled out a chair and sat beside the bed.

"Well rested, a little fried but much better than when I first woke up."

"I gave you some nectar and that sped up your healing process dramatically. Nectar and ambrosia speed up the healing process despite you being a Fate Temptress."

"I was wondering when you were going to figure that out," she said and stretched out upon the bed. "Is Jupiter pissed off that I survived?"

"Well he nearly blasted all the planes out of the sky when I found out that you were still alive but Juno calmed him down while the other gods detained him. You are probably the luckiest mortal alive right now."

"As long as the gods know why I came here that's all that matters." Mae started to sit up and leaned against the headboard of the bed. Someone else entered the room. It was Minerva who stood beside Apollo with those gray eyes looking down at Mae. "Lady Minerva," Mae said respectfully.

"So it is true then," she said gracefully. "You are the Fate Temptress."

"Apparently," Mae said and stretched again.

"I had a feeling you would choose the path you were given. It seems as if all my careful planning came together."

Mae cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

For a second there Mae saw the son of Mercury that was her mentor all those years ago. "You? You were my mentor? You knew about my gift?"

Minerva nodded. "I watched you from birth as the Fates blessed you before you went off to your family. All great heroes need a mentor. I had to give you a little hint of what you were going to be told often when you were older plus I had to help you survive while in slavery."

"Thank you, Lady Minerva," she said and bowed her head in respect. "I don't think I would've survived without your help. But now I have to get back to camp. I have a job to do." Mae started to get out of bed.

"Take it easy," Apollo said. "Your body may not be completely healed. The worse the injury the longer it takes to heal."

"I don't care, my friends need me. Stupid raiders might've attacked again."

"They haven't," he assured. "I went straight there after you were blasted. One of the watch towers was completely gone and the campers were scrambling around trying to rebuild."

"So you understand the situation then?"

Apollo nodded. "I'll make sure that none of the other Olympians will forget about this. Despite being all knowing I never knew it was this bad."

"And the worst part about it is that Kronos is using slaves to build up his army," she said and swung her legs out of the bed. "When he attacks Olympus your army will have a tough time defending it with Romans fighting. We fight to the death like we are trained to."

Mae stood up and tested her legs. She took a few wobbly steps and slowly made her way to the door. "Thank you, Lord Apollo and Lady Minerva, for looking after me. And I'm sorry for being so disrespectful towards you and the other Olympians."

"Take care, hero, and live up to your name."

Mae smirked. "I intend to."

She slowly made her way to the elevator and down to the ground floor. It was going to take forever to get back to camp. No way was she going to shadow travel all the way there after surviving Jupiter's wrath. She didn't want to push her luck just yet.

Mae felt different somehow as she walked barefoot down the streets of New York. She felt energized but also very different. She didn't feel herself anymore. Of course that's going to happen when you're zapped on the head. Hopefully this wouldn't affect her when she returned to camp.

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><p>By the end of the day Mae had left New York behind and was walking down a long stretch of road. It was going to take forever to get back to camp but that gave Mae plenty of time to come up with an excuse of where she's been for the past while. Let's see she was in the Underworld, no, that wouldn't work. Chasing down the raiders and getting lost? Perhaps but that wouldn't explain why she was acting different. She was visiting her brother John. Yeah, she went to his house to help him conduct an experiment and the experiment went a little wrong causing an explosion which knocked Mae unconscious for a few days causing her to act a little off. That was a perfect idea. Lupa would believe it to since John was always the odd one at camp.<p>

She walked throughout the night down the road following her instincts to where camp would be. Once she knew she was far enough maybe she could shadow travel back to camp but at this pace that might take a week or two. Everybody would think she was captured in by a lone raider. Tyler would be freaking out probably right about now. He's become so dependant on her during these past ten months. Never apart, never alone, always together, always and forever.

Mae slept a few hours in a forest off the road. A few fitful hours but at least she slept and then began on the long journey home.

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><p>During the third day of the journey Mae got a lucky break. A pegasus was flying around above her. Mae whistled as loud as she could. The pegasus circled a few times before landing a few yards away. Mae ran and jumped on its back whispering her desired destinations into its ear. It neighed lowly and took off into the sky. Luck was definitely on her side today. She leaned against the pegasus and waited for the distance to close between her and camp. At least the gods know about the situation and that they can no longer ignore it. Mae's been waiting to get that off her chest for years.<p>

The pegasus flew at a fast rate for many continuous hours. The landscape below was zooming past in a blur of colours. Mae hung onto the beast for dear life. What if she fell off the animal's back from this height. The impact would crush her skull and her brains would go splat upon the pavement but could she survive from that? So many things to try out but not now. She let herself think that she was invincible, that's where Philos went wrong in the story and his best friend was captured. As long as she kept her head in the game she could complete her purpose.

The pegasus flew just to edge of camp. It refused to go any further because of Mount Tam. The clouds looked even darker than usual. Something was stirring up there. Something Mae didn't want to meet.

She walked the rest of the way to camp and passed through the magical barrier surrounding it. A new watch tower was being built where the other one was burnt. Campers were moving to training sessions and wolves were here and there keeping every in line. Just another regular day at camp.

She snuck back into her cabin as carefully as she could. If Lupa found out about this Mae might just be sent to the wolves. She quickly changed into regular camp clothes and made her way to the Coliseum where the Loner Cabin would be practicing right about now.

As soon as she stepped into the Coliseum Eric ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

"I thought you were captured by a raider," he whispered into her ear. "I didn't know where you went."

Mae hesitated, then returned the hug. Eric seemed to notice this and broke off. Placing his hands on her shoulders he looked her straight in the eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Mae looked into those brown eyes, brown like chocolate. She was going to have to go through with her plan soon. And Eric would be devastated when he heard about it.

"There's just a lot going on right now," she said.

He searched her face trying to figure out more. His eyes rested on the left side of her face. His eyebrows knit together in thought. "What happened to you?" he asked and traced his fingers down the side of her face only Mae couldn't feel his fingers. She traced the area where he was tracing. There seemed to be a shallow groove on the side of her face. A long scar reaching from her left temple down to the base of her throat, the scar from the lightning bolt. Next thing Eric did was fiddle with a lock of Mae's hair. Only the lock wasn't dark brown like it should be, it was white blond showing the exact spot where the lightning bolt struck her.

"Well," she started. "I went to go see my brother who lives in Canada. I needed a break from camp life for a while so I went to go see him. He does these experiments sometimes and doesn't really know what he's doing so one of the experiments got me and injured me as you can clearly see."

"Is that why you were gone for two weeks?"

Two weeks? It's been that long already? Boy, that lightning bolt really did something nasty to Mae. "Yeah, lots of chemicals and stuff and John wanted to make sure I was all healed up before I left."

"Okay," he said and traced the scar again only Mae couldn't feel his tender finger tips. "As long as you're okay I'm fine with that."

"So you still think I'm beautiful?" she asked feeling closer to Eric than ever before.

"I've always thought you were beautiful." He pulled her into a hug again. This time Mae returned the hug wishing she could complete her life's purpose a different way and not go through with her plan.

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><p>With dinner done and the camp fire just a few minutes away Mae found herself wandering around in the woods. After getting chewed out by Lupa and given a serious talking to about leaving the camp without permission she received her punishment. First it was five laps around the camp then Mae's camp duties were doubled for two weeks. Not as harsh as Lupa could go but harsh none the less.<p>

She heard the various monsters howl to each other and heard some scuttling around her but nothing that could cause concern. Any monster that came upon Mae would be chopped up in a matter of seconds before it could even disintegrate.

Mae's always like the woods. They were dark and secluded, always private and scary and a good place to get away from camp drama. _Two weeks, _she thought, _I have two weeks to get everything ready and then go through with my plan._ Mae didn't want to go through with the plan though. It twisted her stomach into knots every time she thought about it or even talked about it. It made her sick to her stomach. But she had to go through with it. She came up with it to protect the others while she, Tyler and Brian made their way to the Living Underworld. It was the only way.

She heard a twig snap behind her. Immediately she took out Death Seeker and held it out. A person stepped out from behind a tree with their hands up.

"It's just me," the person said. "It's just Eric."

Mae lowered her sword and met Eric halfway. She punched him on the arm. "Don't do that! I don't like it when people sneak up on me."

"I wasn't sneaking," he protested and lowered his hands. "I was following you."

"You sound like you're becoming a stalker."

"Why would I do that?" he asked. "If anyone would try to stalk you they would be dead before the stalking began."

Mae laughed a little and sheathed her sword. "So why'd you follow me out here?"

He shrugged. "You looked a little depressed at dinner and I thought I would try to comfort you."

"Lupa found out about my little vacation and punished me for it. Not severely but enough to make my life a little more miserable."

"You should've heard how she punished Sid when she found out he had a Coca Cola stash under his bed. She made him clean out every single toilet in the camp and the funny thing is he got really into it. I found him in there one time and he was actually enjoying himself."

Mae laughed again. "That kid is so strange but he makes me feel so happy."

"Despite him being a psychopath he's actually a lot of fun to be around as long as you don't mention anything about weapons, death, blood, and pretty much all the gory stuff in the world."

"That happens to be my whole world but he's a great guy."

"He is," Eric said lastly and smiled thinking of all the stupid and funny memories he experienced with the Bounty Hunters. Ah, such great times.

The leaves rustled not too far away from the two demigods. They both drew their swords and stood back to back like they were taught. Running footsteps sounded off to the other side. They turned their heads from side to side trying to catch a glimpse of what the monster, or monsters, could be.

"I've got two over here!" a voice cried out.

"Eric," Mae said. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Surround them before they get away!" another voice sounded.

Eric nodded and said, "Run!"

They both made a mad dash back towards the camp. Both of them knew what kind of creature was after them. Can you guess it? Yep, raiders.

Mae was scorning herself for walking so far into the woods. It's just like the last time when she was seven. Of course history has to repeat itself but why twice in one life time? Unless if the Fates were trying to mess up Mae's life with controlling the things around her than this was all part of their divine plan.

Eric, being the Bounty Hunter he is, took the early lead and sprinted out in front of Mae. She turned back to see three hooded figures running after her. That was her first mistake. A _twang _sound came next followed by a zip cord rapping around Mae's ankles and tripping her. She landed heavily on the ground and lost her grip on her sword. It flew away down a small slope. It was out of reach. Eric turned back to see Mae on the ground and tried to help her up.

"No!" she yelled and waved him off as he came running back. "Go back! Save yourself! Raise the alarm or something, I'll be fine!"

"I'm not leaving you here, Mae," he said and pulled out a knife to cut the cord around her ankles. "We're going to make it back together."

That was her second mistake for not urging him to go back. The raiders barred down on them and surrounded them. Eric got up to fight but was quickly disarmed and pushed onto the ground.

"Two demigods," said one of the raiders. "And two strong, older demigods, I might add."

"Yes," said another. "They will fetch a high price at the market."

"Or," said the third, "we could give them to the games. They would make excellent entertainment. These two are fighters. The girl as a wild look in her eyes, and the boy has determination written all over his face."

"We will discuss this later," said number one. "Let's get going before the spell runs out and the alarm goes off."

The cords around Mae's ankles were cut and her wrists were tied behind her back, same with Eric. They were both pulled off the ground and bound together with a length of rope. Eric was in the front with a rope around his neck.

"You are such an idiot sometimes," she whispered.

"I'm not leaving you alone," he said. "I'm always going to protect you, Mae, no matter what."

That was her third mistake. She didn't deny him.

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><p><strong>Sorry for the delay but work keeps me busy and I'm writing another story at the same time as this one so as you can see my attention becomes a little divided at times. This is another long chapter so pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaassseeeeeeeee review... They get the fiends off my back and make the voices in my head shut up for once. Until next time R&amp;R<strong>


	30. Chapter 30

**Hi, I'm Evil Sue for those of you who don't know me. This is more pre evil instead of full blown evil which is coming the next chapter... So yes, I do contribute some things to this story. Can't let Normal Sue write everything now can we? No, we can't. Without me this story would be boring... So enjoy. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in two or three days from now. Enjoy**

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><p>Chapter Thirty<p>

Mae's arms were chained up above her head while the slaver was waiting for iron to be good and hot. There are some things that Mae didn't like about her gift. Like the fact that she has to be branded all over again. The slaver walked over with the red hot iron in hand. He pushed up the short sleeve of her t-shirt baring her upper arm **(yeah I said forearm many chapters ago, I meant to say upper arm). **Mae shut her eyes and bit her tongue as the iron was pressed against her skin. If any of you have ever burnt yourself you would know what if feels like, a little.

Once the brand was good and set the slaver took away the branding iron and splashed some water on her arm to take away the heat. Then he unchained her and shoved her into the slave pen. Mae fell to the ground stubbing her bare toes. They just had to burn her shoes right in front of her. Oh that got her mad.

Eric walked over and helped Mae to stand. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"You're lucky you didn't have to be branded again," she said and looked out at the passing crowd of monsters. There was an unusually large amount of monsters in the market today. Mae's never seen it this full and she's been here dozens of times.

"I thought you had a brand already."

"I did but I scarred it up pretty bad on the Andromeda so they gave me a new one," she lied, well partially. "And why did they take you? You're a Bounty Hunter. Being a Bounty Hunter equals immunity."

"I didn't complete my five years," he said bitterly. "Once you complete five years an 'x' shaped brand gets put over the Bounty Hunter brand representing that you finished your years of service. I just completed a year on Luke's ship. Technically I'm still a slave."

"Boy that must suck."

"It does, ever so much."

Mae sat down against the bars at the back of the pen. After walking throughout the night they arrived at the market some time in the early morning. They had a few hours of sleep before the market was officially open. At least they were somewhat well rested. Eric sat down beside Mae and leaned his head against the bars. It was going to be a very long day.

Monsters passed and slaves were bought and sold. Drachmas were passed out and objects were bargained over. By noon neither Mae nor Eric had been looked at. She didn't want to lose Eric just yet. She didn't want to be separated from him. She needed him by her side.

A slaver walked up to the bars of cage looking over the depressed faces of many slaves. He looked at Mae of a second and beckoned her over.

"Slave girl in the back," he said. "Come here."

Trying to make a good impression Mae obediently walked up to the front of the bars in front of the slaver. His hand clenched down on her lower jaw opening her mouth. He looked at her teeth as most slavers did when buying a slave. Healthy teeth means healthy slave.

He let go of her jaw and Mae snapped her mouth shut staring right back at the slaver. "I'll take her. Slave boy in the back," he called to Eric. "Come here." Eric walked over and the same process was repeated. "I'll take both of them." The auctioneer beside the slaver nodded and proceeded towards the pen door. She unlocked the door and led Mae and Eric out. Instantly they were tied together and handed over to their new master. Their master began to walk along with a few other monsters dressed in armor. They began the long trek to their new home.

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><p>The setting sun streaked the sky with brilliant colors of orange and red, the only beauty of this cursed place. Mae stumbled along behind Eric wondering where her new home would be. At least she was sold with him. They could watch out for each other and try to come up with an escape plan. If she could free Ben successfully she could definitely try to help Eric escape.<p>

They walked to the top of a large hill and the monsters in armor stopped. The slaves stopped at the top of the hill thankful for a quick breather before they started walking again. Their master smiled and spread his hands out to show the area down below them. A near circular structure with flags and cheering crowds and the silent _clash _and_ clangs _of swords and shields meeting each other.

"Welcome to your new home, demigods," he said and proudly showed off the arena below them. Mae's blood ran cold. She's heard about this from the chatter in the auction many times before. This was the arena where demigods fought for their lives. These were the real Gladiator games.

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><p>Mae couldn't do anything, say anything, or go anywhere. She was tied up to Eric and the monsters would only catch her again. She bet in her mind that even if she pleaded for them to kill her they probably wouldn't. The arena would kill her instead.<p>

So she followed Eric down the hill towards the massive structure where the monsters led them. Through a doorway and some corridors and more doors the slaves found them in a room filled with cages. Eight demigods were in the cages already shaking with fear and have completely given up on hope. Mae and Eric were untied first and then pushed into an empty cage and the cage door was locked shut with an iron key. The monsters walked away back down the way they came in. The demigods were left alone.

"We are so dead," Mae whispered and sat down against the cold stone wall. "There's no getting out of here."

Eric tugged on the cell bars. They didn't budge. He felt around the lock of the door but couldn't do anything with it. "There has to be a way out," he said.

"Hey, kid," said one of the other demigods across from them. "Take it easy. You'll only waste precious energy."

"What are they planning?" Eric asked.

"It's the games," she said. "They happen for one week once a month. The monsters buy up good looking slaves from the market and bring them here for entertainment. We go out tomorrow."

"And you're just going to sit there and do nothing?"

"We've all accepted our fates," she said. "Most of us won't survive; if we do we only fight again the next day. Have you accepted your fate?"

Eric went silent and sat down beside Mae. They had a very long wait ahead of them before they went out into the bright arena and fought for their lives. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. Would she have to end her life here and leave her life's purpose unfulfilled?

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><p>The cheering of the crowd slowly died down as the monsters and raiders who ran this place went out and cleaned the arena. Mae could see out of the corner of her eye as they brought in mutilated bodies unrecognizable and bloodied. She could feel the numbers of souls here as if still trapped here as slaves for all eternity. There were too many to count. Too many have died here and they might be next.<p>

Sleep came slowly that night. Every sound around Mae made her jump. Eric held her close though protecting her from all the sounds and shapes the shadows made. He pulled her close to him and kept whispering encouraging words to her. She eventually closed her eyes in the early morning and caught a few hours of sleep.

The bars were rattled and Mae jerked awake the uncertainty of today's events overwhelming her. Her head was resting on Eric's lap as he shifted his weight beneath her and slowly woke up and stretched. "Well," he said, "this isn't the most comfortable place to sleep but at least it's nice and cool."

Mae was silent and looked at the other demigods as they were roused from their sleep by one of the monsters. If she were a child of Pluto she could probably measure these demigods' lifespans. But she couldn't but she could feel as if Mors was here to reap the souls and bring them to the Underworld. Libintia would be there to prepare the bodies for burial making sure everything was neat. Mae didn't want to end up on her mother's preparation table. The thought sent shivers down her spine.

Each of the cage doors was unlocked. The demigods slogged their way out of their cages and followed the monster down the hall. Mae took a quick look outside at the stands of the arena. They were filling up fast with lots and lots of monsters. These games certainly drew a lot of attention.

The ten demigods were herded down the corridors and into an armory filled with polished and salvaged armor and swords mounted on racks on the walls and scattered on tables all along the packed room.

"Find your size, grab a sword and meet back at the cages in ten minutes," said the monster that lumbered away.

Mae looked at the breastplates and shin and arm guards. She saw the dents and scratches of past battles many of which covered dead demigods. The stench of death was everywhere. On the armor, the walls, the floors, the ceiling. If she survived by some divine force so would definitely demolish this place first. It had to go.

Like the others, Mae strapped on the armor provided. She tugged on the undercoat that padded her body when the bulky breastplate was placed on. Next she strapped on the shin and arm guards feeling the weight pulling her towards the ground. Strap sandals were also provided in the room. Mae found a pair that fit her and strapped them onto her feet. Next she hauled on the breastplate. As she readjusted the shoulder straps her fingers slipped cutting her fingers on the sharp metal edge. Mae swore silently as her fingers trembled with the straps.

"Here," said Eric who walked over fully dressed, "let me do it." His steady fingers pulled on the straps tightening the shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Just the adrenaline pumping," she said and picked up a sword lying on the table once he was done. "This is the first time I've ever been in a place like this before."

"Me neither," he said and handed Mae a shield and picked up his own sword and shield. "There is a first for everything though."

Mae slid the shield onto her arm and picked up a helmet. She gripped both her helmet and sword in one hand and followed the other demigods back towards the cages with Eric right behind her.

Everyone stood before the open doorway which would lead to their doom. Last minute checkups on armor and other useless things. _Just to waste time and not think about death, _Mae thought. Fear was so strong in that room. You could probably even smell it amongst the demigods.

She felt herself shaking, shaking out of fear, of the unknown, of everything really. Eric slipped his hand into hers and held it tightly. She looked into those chocolate brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly his voice sounding so soothing and strong.

"Okay?" she said. "Of course, I'm fine. I'm just about to be led to my death alongside you and eight other demigods all for the monsters satisfaction of course but-" Her words were cut off as he pressed his soft lips up against hers. Mae closed her eyes as her world melted into that kiss. The cheering of the crowd melted away, the fear and anxiety she had felt for many hours melted away. He brought his hand up to stroke her cheek as the kiss prolonged. Neither of them seemed to notice as a monster approached them and locked a set of manacles around their wrists binding them together, one cuff around Mae's right wrist and the other around Eric's left. When they broke apart only then did they notice the manacles chaining them together with a three foot long chain between them. Mae looked at the other demigods. Each of them was also chained up in pairs.

"How are we going to fight like this?" she asked. "I need both hands to fight."

Eric kissed her forehead and stroked her cheek. "We'll find a way alright? Have you ever trained with one hand behind your back? If you think about it, it's the exact same training technique."

"I'm right handed though," she said. "My sword will be on the inside which means I'll be fighting with a shield. A shield, Eric!"

"I'm left handed which means I'll be fighting the exact same way as you. I'll keep you safe. Trust me on this."

The demigods lined up in their pairs before the door. The crowd grew louder as the time drew nearer. Mae could see monsters out in the center already. Scythian Dracaenae, rogue Cyclops, and other various monsters that were half human half you-fill-in-the-blank. Mae put on her helmet and picked up her sword. Eric did the same.

"So you do love me then?" she asked him.

"Always have," he said and brushed her fingers.

"What a great time to show it especially since we're going out to our death soon."

"Wanted you to know if we did die."

"I'm glad you care about me."

"Someone had to," he said. "Ben certainly wasn't going to look after you."

"Yeah, he was kind of scared of me."

"We all are, Mae."

Eric finished the conversation with one last kiss. The first pair of demigods charged out into the arena followed by the other four pairs. Mae stepped out into the bright sun with Eric at her side. The crowd cheered as they came out. Monsters roared and shrieked sending up a sound that sounded like a cat trying to play the violin.

A raider in the crowd stood up and spoke, "Ten demigods stand before us. Ten monsters stand armed and ready. Let the ancient battle of the Gladiators begin!" The crowd roared and cheered.

Mae twirled her sword in anticipation. Eric shifted his shield. The monsters walked forward and split up each taking on one demigod. Mae got a Scythian Dracaenae. She smiled and let her eyes grow a little redder. With adrenaline pumping and the urge to shed some blood she charged the dracaena and the games began.

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><p><strong>Poll question! Because of the little romance in this chapter, Normal Sue would like to have your opinion on something. Should Mae be with Eric for eternity or does she belong with someone else? Please leave your opinion with your review... It is very much appreciated when you do. Plus you guys get a cookie out of the deal. It's a WIN WIN Scenario! How can you not lose?<br>Oh, and choose wisely for the next few chapters may shock you.  
><strong>


	31. Chapter 31

**So here we go, the much anticipated chapter of the GAMES! MUAHAHAHAHA!... I really need to control my evil side... she's getting a little out of control... oh and thanks for the recent reviews... some of them made me smile... keep up the good work!**

**Warning!: the gore picks up in this chapter so beware... don't say I didn't tell you**

**Disclaimer: What gave you the impression that I owned any of this stuff?**

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><p>Chapter Thirty One<p>

The dracaenae's spear smacked against Mae's shield. She blocked and bashed the snake lady on her head forcing her to slither away to take a minute. Eric was off fighting a Cyclops besides her with the chain between them stretched as far as it could go.

The dracaenae attacked Mae again. The only thing she could do was block with her shield and pray for the best. It was hard to be on the defensive all the time. With the armour weighing her down and the fact that her sword was useless Mae was having a tough time keeping this snake _thing _away from her.

Around the arena the slaughter went on. One demigod fell with a sword in his neck and his blood splashing down on the sandy ground. His partner was a dead duck. She didn't stand a chance and her skull was crushed by a Cyclops club. She died within seconds of her partner's death.

More blood came from another demigod as her arm was chopped off with the sharp blade of a sword which was then ran right through her weakened armour. Sad to say she died a slow and painful death. Her partner soon followed with the sword aimed for his neck at a swinging motion. I think you can guess what happened after that.

Two pairs down and three to go. Each demigod fought for their life. Mae finally had enough with her shield. She shook it off her arm and waited for the snake to lunge again. As predicted the snake lunged. Mae jumped back avoiding the spear tip. She grabbed the spear and wrenched it out of the snake lady's hands. The spear snapped in half of the force. Mae flipped it and held the sharp end towards the snake who hissed at her. Mae hefted the spear into throwing position and waited for the right moment. When she felt the chain slacken a bit between them Mae stabbed the snake lady in the leg with the broken spear. She hissed before exploding into a pile of yellow dust.

Mae turned and threw the broken spear away. Now, to help Eric who was having a very tough time trying to fend off his Cyclops this was towering over him at an impressive eight feet and probably several tonnes. His helmet had already been knocked off and he was desperately trying to protect himself with his shield that the Cyclops was relentlessly attacking. If that thing didn't let up soon Eric would break his arm.

Mae charged forward with her sword and blocked the monster's next blow allowing Eric to gain his wits and bring up his sword. Together they fought against the monsters pushing it further back as they were trained to do. The Cyclops roared with rage as he saw he was losing the battle against two fine morsels of demigod meat. He roared again as both Eric and Mae plunged their swords up to the hilts in his gut and exploded into dust all over them. Mae coughed and shook herself clean before turning her attention back out to the arena.

Two more demigods were killed at the same time. The monsters they were fighting against teamed up and stabbed each of them through the gut and kicking them off their swords to finish off another pair which happened to be Eric and Mae.

The odd looking monsters lumbered over with their swords out in front and smiling like this was going to be another easy battle to win.

"We won't be able to take them both at once," Eric said. "If we disable one of them then we turn our attention to number two and kill it before number one recovers."

"Use your shield to whack the closer one," she said. "We charge number two with ease. This one isn't wearing amour."

"Smug bastard," Eric cursed.

"Indeed."

As planned Eric took off his shield and reeled back flinging the heavy shield right into the monster's eyes. It smacked right into its targets' eyes and stuck. The monster screeched and fell onto its back trying to rip out the shield. The second monster passed its fallen comrade without a second thought and charged at Eric. Eric and Mae both ducked as a large sword swung over their heads. They took their chances and stabbed the monster's feet. It hissed loudly and flung them both away with a massive bat of its clawed hand.

Landing on the hard ground in heavy, sharp armour is not the greatest thing to do. So don't try this at home. As soon as Mae landed Eric followed landing on top of her legs. The monster took a few minutes before pulling both swords out from its feet. It growled at them and charged them again. Weaponless and shieldless Mae scrambled around for a sword. She pried one out of a fallen demigod's cold stiff fingers and held it up as the monster was about to crash down on top of them. It landed on the sword sending up a cry of pain before exploding.

Eric scrambled off of Mae and pulling her up by the chain. There were two monsters left. The one that was now blind by Eric's shield and one more dracaenae fighting a lone demigod. The lone demigod's partner was already dead. He couldn't move more than a few feet away from his partner's body. The dracaenae took this as an advantage and thrust her spear right into this gut. The spear didn't penetrate the hard amour but after several more jabs it final poked through and sank itself into the demigod's flesh. A mortal wound, no less, but the demigod wasn't finished there. With his last ounce of strength he pulled out the spear and threw it into the snake lady's head disintegrating her instantly. The demigod fell to his knees clutching his stomach as blood stained the ground beneath him red. He fell to his side and took his last breath.

It was just them now. Just Eric and Mae and one big, nasty, blind, out-for-revenge monster. It sniffed the air catching the scent of the demigods and picked up its sword. It sniffed the air constantly as it circled the demigods. It paused considering its tactics and then barrelled straight for the panic stricken demigods. Eric had no time to react as the deadly sword stabbed him in the side. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground with the large sword still stuck in his side. The monster bashed its head into the rock wall of the arena and moaned in pain. It shook its head and walked for a moment trying to clear its brain of the imaginary stars circling its head.

Mae dropped to the ground and gently pulled out the sword. Eric clenched his teeth as it happened. Blood seeped through the gash at a slow rate. If he didn't see some medical attention he could be dead within the hour. Mae stood up and watched the beast as if felt the ground for a sword.

"Eric," she said, her voice cracking under the stress, "Eric, I can't take on this monster with my good hand chained down. Eric, what do I do? I can't save us both like this."

"Cut it," he said barely audible.

"What?"

"I SAID CUT IT OFF!"

Mae knew what he meant. He didn't mean the chain that would be impossible. He meant to cut his hand just below the cuff. He shut his eyes as she readied her sword just over his wrist.

"This is only going to hurt for a little bit, okay. Just hold still."

"I'm not going anywhere, Mae." She brought the sword in her left hand knowing it would not be a clean cut. Eric turned his head away and breathed in and out in an even pace. She brought down the sword hard but not hard enough. Eric screamed in pain again as Mae brought down the blade for a second pass this time cutting of his hand completely. He rolled onto his side clutching his injured arm close to his body.

With herself free Mae took her sword and picked up a shield to face the blind monster. It fumbled around on the ground for a sword. Once it found one it sniffed the air for Mae. She circled it slowly trying to get around to its backside. It was going pretty good at first until Mae tripped over and body and fell with a loud _thump_. The monster turned to face her. It picked up its sword and charged Mae. She held up her shield as the large sword collided on top. She fell to the ground and took a swipe at one of its limbs. She barely nicked it giving her time to roll away and stand. The monster roared at the sky and turned towards where Mae was a few seconds before. She took this as an advantage and chopped at one of its long, lanky limbs. It hissed and tried to swipe at her but missed. She jumped onto its back and just as it turned to reach for her she jumped off and brought the sword down at its neck slicing through the monster's skin and turning it into dust.

Mae collided back on the ground as the crowd exploded into cheers. She ignored them and trudged over to Eric. He was so pale now. His eyes were closed and his breathing was fast and shallow. Blood pooled around him.

"Eric," she said. "Eric, stay with me okay. Stay with me."

He tried to speak but a little bit of blood seeped out from the corner of his mouth. That did not seem good. She wiped it away and made him focus on her.

The games had ended and the crowd was starting to depart after a day of much excitement. The raiders and monsters rushed forward and started to clean to wreckage. A raider stepped towards Mae and Eric. He looked down at the injured boy bleeding and probably dying as well. There was the possibility of selling him again and earning a few more drachmas. Best to try and heal him up a bit before that happened. He bent down and scooped up the boy and took him towards the doorway entering the arena. Mae stood up and followed the raider.

They walked into a repair room which doubled as a makeshift infirmary. A fire with a few tools set into it was being stoked by a Cyclops. He turned to the raider and looked at the bleeding boy. He pointed to the ground and the raider set Eric down.

They set him down on a board with straps attached to it. The raider attached the straps holding down the boy. Mae rushed to Eric's side holding his good hand. The Cyclops roughly took off his left arm guard and took a red hot tool out from the fire. He picked up Eric's mutilated arm and pressed the cauterizing iron over his stump. That seemed to wake Eric up. He screamed in pain and jerked against the straps that held him down on the board.

Mae gagged and choked as the smell of burning flesh filled the room. Once the iron was taken away the Cyclops peeled back the punctured breastplate where Eric was stabbed. He took out another tool red hot from the fire and pressed it against the wound sealing it up in another painful process.

Once all that could be done was done the straps were removed and Eric was carried back to the cages. Mae quickly slipped out of her chunky armour and sweaty sandals and followed the raider who carried Eric in his arms. He unlocked the cuff around Mae's wrist before pushing her inside. They were placed in the same cage and the door was locked leaving them alone.

Eric was on the ground crying and holding his injured arm close to his chest. Mae sat down against the wall and placed his head gently on her lap. She stroked his hair to quiet his desperate, heat wrenching sobs. She whispered soothing words into his ear but nothing would make him stop. She took off a strip of fabric from the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it around his stump protecting it from infection as much as she could. He whimpered a bit as she tied the final knot in the fabric. She resumed stroking his dark hair to shush his crying and try to get him to sleep. Who knows what would happen tomorrow.

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><p><strong>So... I'm sorry to sound morbid but... I enjoyed torturing Eric... besides it's a special day for me i should be allowed to do what I want with my characters... heh heh heh...Review please!<strong>


	32. Chapter 32

**Sorry to keep you guys waiting, I was having a little writer's block but don't panic it doesn't last long. You know what's sad though? I'm starting to see the end of my story. I know! It's sooooo depressing. But don't worry this won't be my only story, I might make a sequel and I'm planning (in my mind) another story for PJO. ONe that is completely off topic from this but I thought you guys might want to know. I might even give you guys a sneak peak one day. We'll see.**

**This chapter goes out to** **CammiHam48 who has reviewed and added this story to her favourites. Thank you ever so much the fiends are happy that you did this. **

**Disclaimer: Ugh these are getting so repetitive. I'M NOT A MAN!**

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><p>Chapter Thirty Two<p>

Mae was awake the entire night. Her thumb rubbed Eric's shoulder as he slept peacefully. After many hours of crying and whimpering in pain he finally succumbed to exhaustion and was now in a deep peaceful slumber. And she wanted to keep it like this.

The new slaves arrived today for the final day of the games. Nine slaves, not eight. Obviously Eric was not going out there tomorrow. She didn't know what the monsters and raiders were going to do with him but as long as they didn't kill him Mae was at ease.

He stirred a little and she went back to stroking his hair. After a few seconds he went still again. She didn't want to go through that again. She didn't want him to wake up and remember the pain in his body sending him into another round of heart aching cries and pleas that made her want to cover her ears and ignore him. She couldn't ignore him though. He needed her more than ever.

A heavy footstep sounded down the hall making Mae flinch. Several more followed towards the cages. The cage door was unlocked and there stood a raider. He looked over at the injured boy. Yes, this was the best option to deal with him. Not the option he wanted to go with but no less this is what was decided. He picked up the boy roughly barely disturbing him from his sleep.

"Where are you taking him?" Mae asked worried they might hurt him further.

"We are taking the boy to the woods," the raider answered. "We will set him down there and come back."

"Can I come with you?" she asked quietly. "Please, I won't be much trouble and I can keep him quiet on the way there. Please?"

The raider snarled. Oh how he wanted to sleep but this had to be taken care of. He sighed and said nothing as a sign of 'yes'. Mae followed the raider out of the cage and padded in her bare feet behind him.

A wagon was set up outside of the arena with two horses hooked up in front of it. The raider dumped Eric in the back and turned his attention towards Mae. He tied her hands together and tied her to one of the wagon's railings. Can't be too careful with slaves.

The raider jumped into the front of the wagon and tapped the horses with the reins. They pulled the wagon forward making it jostle on the uneven ground. Mae pulled Eric close to her once more and stroked his hair to keep him sleeping. The last thing she needed right now was a distraught Eric.

Immediately Mae started to weave an escape plan in her mind. She was not going to go back to those gallows back there. She needed to escape with Eric and her intact and safe. Mae looked up at the raider in the front. A sword was lying on the empty space beside him on the bench. No other weapons were in the back of the wagon with her so she was just facing a raider with a sword. Just as deadly but at least it was only one raider with one sword. Hopefully she had enough energy and strength left in her to finish him off.

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><p>It was a few hours before the woods were visible from the wagon in the dark. Eric was awake with his head still resting on Mae's lap. His jaw was clenched and he took in deep breaths to keep from crying out because of the pain his missing hand caused him. He whimpered every now and then when the wagon went over a bump and he jostled too much. Mae was there though, she was always there for him holding his hand and saying encouraging words. It soothed him.<p>

Mae bent over and pressed her forehead up against his. He pressed closer to her and squeezed her hand tightly as another wave of pain rolled over him.

"Don't let go," he whispered oh so quietly.

"I won't," she promised. His forehead felt hot up against hers and he sometimes shivered with cold. Fever means infection. That much she knew. If they were too far away from the camp he might not make it without the proper medical attention to be seen to his arm and side. Once they arrived in the forests the curse wouldn't have a hold on Mae anymore. That means she would be able to shadow travel herself and Eric back to camp and escape this nightmare they were both in. If only she could untie herself.

She slipped her hand out from Eric's death grip and attempted to untie the piece of rope tied to the wagon railing. The raider wasn't really paying attention to them. He was more focused on trying to stay awake. Every now and then his head would bob down and then shoot back up as if he fell asleep and then woke back up again. A drowsy raider was even better to fight.

She began to work on the tight and complicated knot that held in her place. It wasn't easy with her hands tied and the fact that she had to be extra careful without trying to disturb the raider. She bit at the rope and pulled against it until it started to loosen. The woods were approaching fast. She had to get this done now or her chance of escaping would be over. She tugged at the rope more loosening it even further. Once the knot fell apart she quickly tied it into a quick release knot so it still looked like she was tied to the wagon. So finally all those years of slavery paid off at last.

The horses pulled the wagon up a small incline and a few yards into the woods. The raider stretched and jumped down from the bench. He walked to the back of the wagon and dragged Eric away from Mae. Eric grimaced in pain as the raider handled him roughly and then dumped him on the ground a few yards away from the wagon. Eric lay there writhing in pain and clutching his injured arm. Mae waited until the raider was a little bit closer. Closer, closer, now! She jumped out from the back of the wagon and onto the extremely exhausted raider. The quick release worked as it should and slipped off from the railing. Mae rolled to the side and stood up running off towards Eric before the raider could grab her.

"You can't escape that easily, slave!" he yelled and picked up his idle sword lying on the bench.

Mae helped Eric to his feet and ran to the nearest shadow. She looked back at the raider on last time only to see the flash of a sword glinting in the late moon light coming straight towards her. The stupid raider threw the sword at her. She stepped back into the shadow pulling Eric with her but it was too late.

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><p>They both tumbled out from the shadow of another tree somewhere in the middle of the camp forest. Eric rolled off his back and pushed himself up with his good hand. He immediately bent over and threw up. Shadow travel and being sick and injured were not good combinations. He stumbled over to where Mae was lying. Either she passed out from shadow travelling or she was… Oh gods no.<p>

He ran over to her and dropped down by her head. He rolled her over. A deadly sword stuck out from her stomach. Her still tied hands were clutched around the sword trying to stop the flow of blood seeping through her fingers and leaving scarlet rivulets of blood down her fingers. Oh gods she was so pale.

"Mae," he said, "I'm going to pull out the sword. Hold still."

"I don't think… I'm going anywhere… Eric," she smiled weakly remembering what he said to her in the arena. Gripping his clumsy right hand around the blade he pulled the blade straight out.

"I'm going to go get some help okay?" he said and threw the blade away. "I'll be right back."

She gripped his hand before he could stand and run for help. "No, stay, there's nothing… anyone can do."

"I can do this, Mae. The Apollo kids have healers they can save you."

She shook her head weakly and pulled Eric down towards her. He let her and lay down beside her turning her face towards his. "You look so… cute in the early morning." She reached up weakly and brushed back the dark hair falling into his chocolate brown eyes. He caught her hand and kissed her fingertips. "Eric, I'm… cold." A slow death was the worse for Mae but she decided this would the best way to put her plan into motion. She would let herself bleed out until she passed out and then her abilities would go to work and save her while she appeared to be dead. But until then she had to deal with the feeling of death lingering around her. What a terrible feeling.

Eric pulled her closer to his body wrapping his arms around her. "I won't let go."

"Promise me… something… before I… die?" she asked. Black spots danced across her vision.

"Anything," he said and kissed her forehead.

"Don't do anything… stupid. Don't go… running off. Stay here, stay safe."

He took in a shaky breath and nodded. "I promise. Wait for me in Elysium."

"I will."

Eric held her close to him as she took her final breaths. A tear crept down his cheek. He could hear wolves in the distance howling to each other that there as an intruder in the forest. The call was taken up by campers being awoken by the constant howling. He could hear the footsteps and paws growing louder and louder. Torch light grew brighter and soon the first camper arrived with a sword in hand expecting a bunch of raiders only to find two demigods, one alive and one dead.

The other demigods and wolves arrived circling the demigods. Lupa was the last to arrive and entered the circle. She sniffed Mae first and growled lowly. It was always a sad thing to lose a demigod especially if that demigod was lost to a raider's doing.

"Take the boy to the infirmary and tend to his wounds," she said. Two demigods stepped forward and hauled Eric to his feet. They walked him away. "The girl will be honoured with respect. She did as a hero and she will be treated as such. We will take the body to the Wolf House and prepare her for the burial."

The demigods nodded and two of them picked her up and carried her carefully to the Wolf House. The wolves disbanded and resumed to patrolling the border. It was a quiet night out. The creatures of the night were quiet as one of their own was dead.

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><p>Eric laid in the infirmary on a nice fluffy bed with the blankets pulled up over him and a pillow underneath his head. An Apollo camper picked up his arm and unwrapped the dirty strip of fabric from his stump. He looked away he didn't need to see this. It hurt him too much. He already knew what it would look like. Black and blistered from the cauterizing iron and oddly narrow without a hand. Those dreams would haunt him for a long time.<p>

"Now this may sting a bit," the healer said. "But the pain will be gone once I'm done." The healer applied a silver paste all over the affected parts of the arm. It didn't sting a little bit. It stung A LOT. He squirmed on the bed uncomfortably as she applied the paste and then chanted some words of healing in Latin. Once that was done she wrapped up the stump in bandages and secured it with a clip. Next she took a look at the wound in his side. The process was repeated then he was forced to drink nectar and sleep.

What if he didn't want to be healed? What if he wanted to be left alone and die? Why should they care? He wasn't a great fighter. He wasn't strong like Joel, or powerful like Jason Grace and Zach. He was just another son of some minor goddess that wasn't given any special attention or even a throne for that matter. He wasn't anything special. He should've died in place of _her. _Oh gods, he couldn't eve say her name without breaking down. She sacrificed her life for him. She saved him at least three times by now? Let's see, the time when they escaped from the Andromeda, when she killed that monster that stabbed him, and the last time when she took a sword for him and brought him back to camp so he could… live.

Eric rolled onto his side and sunk deeper into the bed. He promised her he would stay safe so that kind of tied into staying alive. So for now he would live with the pain and guilt he was feeling. He would see her again though. He would, he was sure of it.

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><p>Two days later Mae finally awoke from the long slumber that took for her body to repair itself. Wasn't as bad as the time with the master lightning bolt but she was not going to take a sword to the gut again. That was just a little too risky.<p>

She stretched out on the bed she was lying on. Well, she assumed she was sleeping on a bed. Where else would she be sleeping? The Wolf House? Yeah right, like she would stay there when she woke up.

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. This near death experience was definitely the worse so far. Mae can't believe she just died right in front of Eric. He would be distressed right now. But it was for the best. She couldn't let him become involved. She cared for him too much.

"'Bout time you woke up," came a voice. Mae turned her head to the speaker standing in the doorway. He leaned against the door frame with his black hair still wet from a shower and his forest green eyes glinting in the sunlight. "I was wondering when your whole ability thing would kick in," Tyler said. "How are you feeling?"

"Drained but good," she said and sat up. She looked around her surroundings. They were in a large unfinished room that gave the feeling they were in an abandoned warehouse. She was sleeping on just an old mattress set down on the floor with barely anything else set in the large room. "Where are we?"

"Just as you wanted a secluded large area that's cheap."

"Technically," another voice sounded, "it was free. No one even knows we're living here. Except Lupa." Brian entered her line of vision setting down a large duffel filled with all the stuff he kept at camp. "Sorry, Mae, we had to tell her otherwise she wouldn't let us leave camp."

"That's okay," she said and stood up. "Brian, do you have a knife on you?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just hand it over." Brian didn't argue and pulled out a knife. Mae quickly put her hair into a low pony tail and ran into the decrepit bathroom.

She stared at herself in the cracked and dirty mirror running her fingers through her long hair. She kept reminding herself that this was better for everyone. Less people are involved and less of them will get hurt. To keep them all safe while she started on this new journey in her life.

Tyler stepped into the bathroom and stood behind her. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? We can always come up with some other plan that will be less stressful."

Mae shook her head. "It's the only way." She brought the blade behind her neck and sawed off most of her hair so it was at chin level. "Did you get the dye?" Tyler nodded and handed her a box filled with black hair dye he got from the Venus cabin. "When's my funeral?"

"Tomorrow. Are you sure you want to go back there? What if someone notices you?"

"They won't," she firmly said. "No one will notice me. I can't live like I used to that's why I'm going through with this plan. To everyone else I'm dead and I want to keep it like that. I can keep them safe until I find out how to end slavery. From now on I'm going to live up to my name. I am the Fate Temptress."

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><p><strong>I'll try to update soon but tomorrow I am getting my license! FINALLY I CAN DRIVE!... that's scary.<strong>

**Until then people... please review... you get a cookie if you do... a sweet... delicious... chocolate...melting... cookie... HURRY BEFORE I EAT THEM ALL! THEY ARE VERY TEMPTING!**


	33. Chapter 33

**So another chapter up. Just a heads up but I'm going to split the next few chapters into two POVs, Eric's and Mae's. Eric's point of view because I want you guys to know how he's coping with his recent losses. Soon he'll disappear from the story. But don't worry I'll probably write a sequel bringing him back into the story. So there you have it.**

**Special thanks goes out to CassidyCallisto who has reviewed and added my story. Good for you, have a cookie.**

**Disclaimer: Stop thinking that I own this! I don't!**

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><p>Chapter Thirty Three<p>

Amy looked at herself in the mirror. Her black hair was parted on the right side of her head hiding most of the scar on the left side of her face. The random blond streak of hair was now blended in nicely with the rest of her hair. She was going to have to get used to looking like this and being called Amy. Mae Admiral was dead to the world and she had to keep it that way. To those who knew her secret she was still Mae but no longer the happy Mae that liked to scare people and show that she's not afraid of anything. Now she was a determined Mae, determined to live up to her name. Instead of being the carefree girl she once was her shoulders were carrying heavy burdens that made her stay up late in the night and the nightmares that plagued her dreams when she did sleep. Now she had to use the name Amy wherever she went. Amy Borden. That was her name now.

"Ready to go?" Tyler asked from the other room.

"Coming," she said and left the bathroom. "You guys ready to shadow travel?" Tyler nodded.

"Hello," Brian said and pointed to himself, "Apollo kid, sunshine and happiness, hates the dark."

"Suck it up, Brian. You're going to have to get used to it sooner or later." He sighed and held out his hand. Mae smiled and took both of their hands and leaned into a shadow whisking them off to camp.

They tumbled out of the edge of the forest. Campers were trudging up to the funeral pyre set upon the highest hill surrounding the camp. The trio blended in with the somber faces as they trudged up the hill for the funeral. It was perfect day reflecting the mood of the camp, gray and dreary. It was also sad to lose a camper especially to a raider.

Everyone gathered around the pyre where a body wrapped up in a shroud lay. The shroud had a black background with dark red trim and a dark red crow with its wings wide open to take off into the sky.

"Where did they get a body?" Mae asked Tyler very quietly.

"I think Matt wrapped a dead pig inside and made it look like a human," he whispered making sure no one else could hear them. "I'm not so sure though."

Lupa walked to the front of the crowd and sat before the pyre. "Heroes, today we honour one of our own. Mae Admiral was recently killed in action by a raider's sword shadow travelling another demigod out of harm's way evidentially sacrificing her life so he could live. This act of heroism defined her final moments as a true hero. She will be missed dearly for the services she provided here at this camp. _Salve__ac vale!_(Hail and farewell)"

The demigods took up the saying as one of the senior campers lit the dry wood sending the pyre aflame. Mae looked around at the faces spotting for anyone familiar. There was Ben, teary eyed and trying to stay strong. Of course he would sad they've been lifelong friends. There were some of the Bounty Hunters looking, well, sad, of course, they've known her for almost a full year now. And then there was Eric surrounded by his friends with his injured arm in a sling. His eyes glistened with unshed tears but the rest of his face showed no emotion. He still looked a little pale but that should clear up in a few days with some more rest. Mae didn't want to see him this hurt but it was for the greater good.

Once the fire was just a pile of burning embers the campers went back to their training. Mae ran quickly over to her cabin to collect the few things she still had. Let's see, two set of clothes, she was going to have to get new shoes, a picture of her family that she wanted to carry with her, and then her sword.

Mae turned to leave the cabin only to find Zach in front of her. She didn't hear him come in. Stupid shadow travelling abilities.

"I knew it was you," he said and shut the door behind him so they could talk in private. "Being the daughter of the goddess of funerals I knew you couldn't miss yours. It's like you're a moth and the pyre is the light. You just can't stay away. Why are you pretending to be dead?"

"Seriously? How did you find out?" she asked and sat down on one of the beds. She had a feeling she was going to be here for a while.

Zach rolled his eyes. "I can feel when people die and you did not die. You faked your own death. Why?"

"Promise you'll keep this to yourself?" Zach nodded. "I'm a Fate Temptress which means I control my own life now instead of the Fates. Every demigod that is born with this ability has one purpose to complete. Philos was to free the Guardian, I think. And mine is to end slavery forever. At least I think it is. The reason why I faked my own death is to protect everyone else. You can already see what happened to Eric when he got too close to me. I had to chop of his hand so we could survive. If I'm going to complete my purpose I have to make everyone think that I'm dead so I can do my thing and they can be safe."

"So you're going to go back to the Living Underworld alone? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard of."

"I'm not going alone. I'm bringing two people with me and that's it. Brian of the Apollo cabin and Tyler. Matt of Athena is my research team. Only these guys know about this and apparently Lupa does which I still have to talk to yet but only these people can know about my secret. I'm already putting them in danger by letting them help me and the less people that know the better."

Zach thought about all this for a moment. He could understand why Mae was worried about putting people in danger. The more powerful the demigod the stronger the scent the more monsters will be attracted to that demigod. Being a child of the Big Three he knew all about it.

"I'm coming with you then," he said.

"What? No, you can't. I'm not letting you go with me."

"Bu-"

"I'm not done explaining yet. I'm not letting you go with me because your sister is already there and what if you were enslaved again? She would be devastated to hear that you were enslaved. And because you know about this and how I'm not dead even though I should be I've decided to let you be my inside man. Once in a while I may need to contact camp to check out any raider activity and since Matt is always stuck in his cabin I think you would be the best candidate to be that person. Plus I kind of want you to look after Eric for the next while. No doubt he'll be depressed for a while."

Zach sighed and then nodded. "Okay, I'll be your inside man."

"Thanks, now that that's settled I have to go talk to Lupa. And one more thing, GET A HAIR CUT!"

Zach only flipped his hair and walked out of the cabin. That son of Pluto would be the death of her.

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><p>Eric sat on one of the infirmary beds once again as one of the healers re-dressed his stump. With all this silver paste and nectar and ambrosia the stump was now just red and blistered instead of black and blistered. The pain of his missing hand was starting to go away. Once that part was done it was wrapped up once again and secured with a pin. The wound on his side was all healed up now and just a faint white scar remained. Physical wounds healed but mental wounds took longer. Nightmares have been plaguing his sleep for two long days. He doubted that he was going to get a good night's sleep for a long time yet.<p>

He took his sling and put it around his neck and rested his arm on the sling. He wouldn't need it within a few days it was just easier to deal with his arm this way. Soon he wouldn't have an excuse for not training. Joel was going to make a prosthetic hand for him at some point when he had a spare moment. Until then Eric could take it easy without worrying about training.

Once training was done for the day Eric made his way to the camp forge where Joel usually was in his spare time. He entered the dreary and steamy hot building. Joel was hammering a hot metal blade probably his new creation. Ever since Joel arrived back at camp he's practically lived in the forge. Eric's never seen him so… in his element before. He bet anything that if Lupa allowed him to live in the forge Joel would.

Eric sat on the little bit of spare space he could find on the work bench and waited for Joel to notice him. Joel lifted up the red hot blade he was working on and cackled in delight. He turned to dunk the blade in water and finally noticed Eric.

"Do you need something?" Joel asked.

Eric lifted his injured arm. "No," he answered sarcastically, "I don't need anything at all."

"Oh right!" he said and smiled finally remembering what he was supposed to do. Joel dunked the blade in a bucket of water sending up a cloud of steam. He started shifting through the shelves and cupboards looking for something. Of course Joel was known for his organizational skills (note the sarcasm there of course). He finally pulled out a wooden box and set it on the table beside Eric. He took off the top of the box revealing a blue material inside.

"What is it?" Eric asked.

"It's molding material. Stick your right hand in it and let it sit there for a few minutes. When that's done and set I'll attach a vacuum to it and suck out the mould and turning it inside out so it'll make a perfect match for your left hand." Joel turned back to his unfinished sword and stuck it back into the flames as he stoked the fire.

Eric looked at the blue molding and stuck his hand inside leaving his hand in a natural relaxed position. Joel had his back towards him as he pulled out the red hot blade and started to fuse it with a curved piece of hot metal.

"So," Joel said between hammer strikes, "how's the arm?"

"Better," he said. "There's really nothing to say about it. It's always the same."

"And the nightmares?"

"How do you know about those?" Eric asked. He'd rather not talk about this particular subject.

"Word gets around. Besides I can see that you aren't getting sleep. I know what you're going through. I had the same thing happen to me when I went out on my first Bounty Hunting assignment or mission or whatever they're supposed to be called."

"I remember that," he said. "You didn't sleep for a week after that. You never did tell us what happened."

"And I probably won't but one thing I learned from that is if you don't talk about it it's going to mess you up pretty bad in the head."

"If you're suggesting that I talk about and that it will make me feel better you couldn't be more wrong."

Joel took the finished curved blade and dunked it in the water. "And that's the problem we guys have. We can't talk about our and feelings and all that kind of crap that girls can. Come on, man, just unload it all. It's not a good thing to hold onto everything. Believe me I should know. I almost torched down the stables a few weeks ago because of it. So just let it all go, Eric. I know you think Mae's death was your fault just let it go."

Eric pulled his hand out of the mold and leaned against the wall bringing his knees up to his chest. He didn't say anything. Joel glared at him and snatched up the box and attacked it to a vacuum that quickly flipped the mold inside out. He took off the vacuum and cut off the hand with a few inches to spare to make the perfect prosthetic.

"Okay, don't talk," Joel said. "I'll just get Sid to make you talk."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh I would. Say something or I seriously will bring Sid right over here right now and I guarantee you that he will make you talk."

Eric sighed. "You ever have those feelings when something bad happens and there's something you could've done to keep that thing from happening?"

"All the time."

"I could've done something to keep her from dying. I could've taken the blade or fought better in the arena so we wouldn't be in that situation at all. And now she's dead and I'm here missing a hand and feeling guilty because I couldn't protect her."

"Mae wouldn't want you feeling guilty for her death. She did what she had to, to save you. Just get over it already. Move on with your life. That's what she probably wants."

"And how would you know what she wants?" Eric spat. "You didn't love her like I did. You don't know what happened in that arena or what it felt like to hold her dying in your arms and knowing there was nothing you could do to help."

Joel only turned and smiled. "And that's what I want. You're finally letting everything go. Good for you. Feel any better now?"

"Not really."

"Well, you will in a few days. Don't kick yourself for feeling guilty. It wasn't your fault that she died. Get over it and move on."

Joel turned to the work bench and started drawing plans and sketches for the hand. Eric jumped off the work bench and walked out of the forges. He kept walking straight into the forest and right to the place where she… no wait, where _Mae _died. He could even still see the dried blood where she laid in his arms slowing dying.

The more he thought about it the more emotional he became. He loved her. Deeply and heart achingly loved her. And the Fates took her from him. And now he was standing here alone over the spot where she died. Eric sank to his knees and put his head in his hands, wait, hand and did the most unmanly thing. He cried and cried.

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><p>Mae, Tyler, and Brian walked down the hill out of camp. After talking to Lupa she swore to keep it a secret and promised Mae that she would keep the camp safe to the best of her ability. A very brief conversation indeed but they had to get a move on. The Black Market had very odd hours and Mae wanted to get there very soon.<p>

"And we're going where?" Brian asked as they reached the nearest road.

"Black Market," Mae answered and dug a golden drachma out of her pocket.

"And we're going their why?"

"To get some stuff that could help us when we go to the Living Underworld. John knows a guy that could help us."

"And how are we getting there?"

"Stop starting your questions with 'AND'," Tyler cut in. "It's starting to annoy me."

"And you said that why?"

"Guys, if you can't stop fighting each other for one freaking second then I am leaving you back at camp and I am going all by myself, do I make myself clear?"

Brian looked up at the sky and Tyler stared at his shoes. "That's better." Mae took out Death Seeker and stabbed it into the ground creating a fissure. She plunked the drachma inside the fissure and chanted a few sentences in Latin. Mostly about entry and rite of passage and other safety stuff like that. Can't be too careful when entering the Black Market.

When all was said and done the fissure changed and revealed a black staircase leading into the ground. "Welcome to the Black Market and please stick together," Mae said. "I was once here before when I was little and I was almost eaten by a harpy. And I would be ever so sad if you guys were eaten."

"Yeah right," Brian said.

"Knowing you, you would be happy to be rid of us," Tyler added.

Mae smiled and said, "Let's just make this a pleasant trip, okay?" She led the boys down the staircase and into the Black Market.

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><p><strong>There you have it another chapter. Hopefully I'll update soon. Until then please leave a review and take a cookie.<strong>


	34. Chapter 34

**I forgot to tell you guys this but I AM A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! SORT OF! Technically I received a free proof copy of my book that I wrote for Nanowrimo during November. But the important thing for me is that I completed a dream of mine. So continuing on I am starting to wrap up this story. I might be done writing it this week but we'll see how it goes.**

**Special thanks goes out to tacobowler and Danwarnes. Thank you so much for adding my story. The fiends appreciate it.**

**Enjoy this chapter guys!**

**Disclaimer: I think the next story I write here I'll just have a disclaimer at the first chapter saying 'This goes for all the chapters that I will post for this story. I don't own any of it' so I don't have to keep writing these annoying things.**

**Also I don't own _Joy to the World _that belongs to Three Dog Night. The lyrics are in _italics._  
><strong>

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><p>Chapter Thirty Four<p>

"Okay," said Brian, "we're down here to get armour?

"Yes," said Mae.

"And weapons?"

"Yes."

"And all that other happy stuff?"

"Yes."

"Tell me why again we couldn't get all this stuff back at camp."

"Because the stuff at camp isn't strong enough and it's very bulky. The armour we can get down here is light weight and the strongest thing that I know of."

"Can I please wait outside?" Brian asked. "I don't like the dark."

"Nope, I am going to make you suffer before we go to the land of sunshine, known as the Living Underworld."

They continued down the dark steps until they reached flat ground. The tunnel was lit up by torches showing the way through the black tunnel. Mae went first into the tunnel. She could hear faint voices coming up ahead and dragging sounds of some monster moving across the ground in its own fashion. They walked into a large room filled with monsters and other creatures interested in the black arts and forbidden tools that were up for sale today. Tables were lined up in the room filled with all sorts of artefacts. Mae stopped at the entrance to the room and waited, waited for an old friend of the family that John said in an Iris Message could help her get the things she needed.

The plump little man Mae was looking for waddled over to Mae and embraced her in a bone crushing hug. "Look at you," he said. "You've gotten so tall since I've last seen you. How's your brother by the way?"

Mae stepped away from the man. "He's good, Mack. Hopefully we're talking about the same one here. John said you had some armour that could be useful for me."

Mack nodded and turned down one of the aisles of the tables. As an immortal child of Trivia Mack started up the Black Market business rescuing magical items form the world of the mortals and bringing them back to the world they belong in.

"What kind of armour are you looking?" Mack asked. Mae looked over her shoulder at the boys. They seemed to be interested in some of the objects lying around. Brian picked one up and pressed a button. An electric shock shot out of one end and zapped Tyler in the arm. Brian quickly set it down on the table and looked over at something else pretending like he did nothing as Tyler rubbed his arm and scowled at him. If they happened to kill each other during this mission Mae wouldn't be surprised.

"We have some mighty fine armour over here," Mack said showing off a table filled with black armour in all different sizes. "It's made from the skin of an _Erymanthian Boar and a _Clazmonian Sow offspring. Very hard to get but the hide of that particular offspring is stronger than any other armour that I know of."

Mae picked up one of the black vests and felt the rough black material. It was light as promised and was done up by small pieces of string for tying up. "Can this thing stop a knife?" she asked.

"Haven't tested it yet but it should," Mack answered. "Arm guards and shin guards come with those vests."

"How much do you want for three sets?"

Mack shrugged. "I can give you a deal for, oh say, twenty drachmas each?"

Mae ran her hands over the rough material thinking about the deal. She did have a stash of drachmas with her that she's been saving up for nearly eight months now plus the gift she got from John a while back. That made it sixty drachmas for the three of them. She wouldn't have that much left but John was willing to send her payments every once in a while.

After a few minutes considering the deal Mae nodded and shook Mack's hand confirming the deal. She pulled out the pouch of drachmas from her back pack and stacked out the drachmas like there was no tomorrow. Once Mack was sure there was the correct amount there, Mae called over the boys and they all went digging around finding their size and taking it with them. Brian was eager to leave right after the sale so instead of looking around for more useful stuff they left all for Brian's sake.

"So where do we go from here?" Tyler asked as they surfaced from the Black Market and the entrance closed as soon as Mae was on flat ground.

"We stop by the apartment and gather all of our stuff and prepare to leave for the Living Underworld," Mae answered. "I'm thinking we leave tomorrow morning. Because some people don't like travelling in the dark apparently."

Brian looked offended. "Okay, I don't not like travelling in the dark it's just that me being a child of Apollo and all; I fall asleep as soon as there is no more light in the sky. We can travel at night if you want but you'll be dragging me all the way there."

Mae rolled her eyes and walked over to a shadow waiting for the boys to catch up. "You keep thinking that, Brian." She grabbed their hands and pulled them into the shadows with her.

* * *

><p>They crashed back into the apartment with a heavy <em>thud. <em>Mae continued to lie on the worn wooden floor as the world spun around her. Too much shadow travelling in one day is not a good thing. Tyler seemed to notice this and quickly brought out the emergency stash of ambrosia. He broke off a tiny square and fed it to Mae. She chewed it for a bit and sat up slowly as the world stopped spinning and the headache she had went away.

"Thanks," she mumbled and looked around the room. "Where did you get all this stuff?" There were three old mattresses spread around the room in no particular pattern with a few blankets and pillows. A few boxes filled with unknown stuff were stacked up near the door.

"Stole some of it," he answered without remorse. "Some of it we got from camp and I think your brother mailed a few of those boxes over there. I already looked through it all. Most of its preserved food for the journey, he sent some more medical provisions and other useful stuff. Where would you be without him?"

Mae laughed. "Oh, probably dead about five times by now. Even if he doesn't say it he still loves me."

Brian walked over to them with Cooper following him wagging his tail happily when he saw his masters were finally home. "So, what do you guys want for dinner? Cereal or cereal?"

"Is there an option in the cereal? Mae asked.

Brian shrugged. "All I saw was Cheerios."

"Well then, let's have a meal of delicious Cheerios."

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><p>Eric doesn't know how long he was there in the forest, long enough for the sun to slowly disappear and the darkness to creep in around him. He knows he missed dinner. His stomach grumbled. Oh well, he's been through worse, MUCH worse than just skipping out on one meal.<p>

"If you're trying to hide it doesn't work," someone said in the dark. "Whatever your problem is it always catches up with you." A figure stepped out from the shadow of a tree and into the dim moon light. Zach casually crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against one of the giant trees. "Joel tells me that you're having nightmares and that you're really depressed most of the times."

"If that's what Joel says," Eric answered and pushed up himself up into a sitting position instead of continuing to lie on the ground.

"How long do you think this'll go on?"

Eric shrugged and wiped his eyes of the last tears he shed not too long ago. "It's tough," he finally said. "It's really tough." He couldn't say any more than that afraid he would start to cry again.

Zach walked over to him and bent down. He gripped Eric's shoulder tightly in a comforting way. "We're Bounty Hunters, Eric. The other guys are willing to help you out with this. Aren't we guys?"

"We certainly are!" said a very excited voice. Eric rolled his eyes as Sid came running into view and plopped himself down on the ground with this stupid grin on his face.

"Joel didn't," Eric whined.

"Oh but Joel did," Joel said as he came into view and sat down as well. "I warned you."

Jim stumbled into view and sort of curled up on the ground pillowing his head in his arms. "You guys know I'm not a night owl."

Zach sat back in the circle. Sid brought out his backpack and opened it up pulling out a case of Coke. He opened the new case and threw each of the Bounty Hunters a can.

"I thought Lupa confiscated your stash," Eric said as he tried to pry open his can of Coke. He failed and had Joel open it for him. Eric guzzled most of it right away.

"The one she knows about," Sid answered hinting that he had many other stashes hidden around the camp. "Besides with the diet they keep us on here won't be harmed if we just have one or two cans of Coke. As long as we don't leave the cans behind Lupa won't suspect a thing."

"And what if she finds out you still have Coke?" Jim answered as he pushed himself up and fumbled with the can.

"I'm blaming it on Ben from the Mithras cabin."

"You wouldn't," Joel said.

"Oh but I would. Remember the time we got him hyped up on Red Bull and he got punished for drinking it even though we dared him to do it? Yeah, I'm going to pull a stunt like that again."

"That was a good day," Zach noted. "We should totally do that again sometime."

"Agreed," the Bounty Hunters said together.

"So, what are we going to do here?" Eric asked sipping more of the precious Coke. He hasn't tasted anything this sweet in months. "You guys know I'm not open to talking yet."

"That's why I came prepared," Sid said and set down his Coke gently on the ground careful not to spill one precious drop. He rummaged around in the backpack and pulled out a rather large book. "Let the Chuck Norris jokes begin!" They all cheered.

Eric couldn't help but laugh. What better was there to get over the grief of losing a loved one than sitting in a circle with close friends, drinking Coke, and swapping Chuck Norris jokes until curfew? If there was a better solution he certainly couldn't think of one.

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><p>Mae got out of her bed after sleeping for a couple restless hours. Today was the day they were moving out. She disappeared into the bathroom and changed into a fresh set of clothes, and all of them happened to be black. <em>Note to self, stop dressing in black attire. It's becoming a little stereotypical.<em> She pulled on the vest and the shin and arm guards prepared for whatever was thrown her way. She stepped out and crept up on the sleeping form of the boys. The sun was starting to rise so Brian should wake up in about three… two… one.

"Good morning sweet world!"

Dare she say it but Mae had impeccable timing. Then there was Tyler to deal with. He loved his sleep. But they had to get a move on. Brian was already up and dancing to a song only he could hear. Oh why did she have to bring an Apollo kid with her? They acted so weird in the morning. But he was a very good archer she had to admit.

Mae bent down by Tyler's head and stroked the hair away from his eyes. He twitched in his sleep and rolled over. "Tyler, you lazy ass!" she yelled. "Get out of bed before I drag you to Tartarus!" That seemed to wake him up as he sat him and pushed the blankets off.

"Could you be any louder?" he grumbled and stood up stretching to his full height.

"Just get ready to go." Tyler sighed and picked up some clothes off the ground and disappeared into the bathroom.

Brian was now singing as he packed everything into his bag. "_Jeremiah was a bull frog! Was a good friend of mine!"_

"How can you fit all of that stuff in there?" Mae asked as she watched him stick another box filled with food into his already seeming full duffel bag.

"A lot," he said. "It's enchanted so I can fit all the stuff I want to in there. Makes traveling much easier."

"Are you sure you aren't a Venus kid? I'm pretty sure a lot of Venus kids have those types of bags."

"Well when you're as sexy as I am, you have to bring a lot stuff with you to maintain that level of sexiness."

Mae rolled her eyes and stuffed what she could into her backpack before resorting to placing the rest of her stuff in Brian's duffel bag. "Tyler!" she yelled. "Let's go!"

He opened the door and hurried to pack his stuff. "Gods, you are so annoying in the morning."

Once the trio was packed and they had everything they could possibly need they walked out of the apartment and down into the wilderness outside the city. Cooper was off leash so he wandered around in the bushes looking for little animals to snack on through the day. If Tyler couldn't hear him tromping around he would whistled sharply and Cooper would come bounding back as fast as he could.

"See?" Mae said. "He favours you over me."

"Now he does," Tyler answered and scratched Cooper behind the ears. "Just wait til later, he'll turn on me and go back to you."

"Maybe," Mae said watching as the hybrid little mongrel ran off back into the bush in search of a bird. "Let's compromise and say he's our dog."

"I can live with that."

"Me too."

"Hey! Love birds!" Brian yelled up ahead. "We don't have forever!"

Mae blushed. If Brian were a Venus kid the relationship Mae had with Tyler would grow really awkward. She couldn't let herself grow close to him as she did with Eric. He'll only get hurt because of it. For now she would remain friends with him. It was the safest option.

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><p><strong>Has anyone seen the latest Harry Potter movie yet? Cuz I sure haven't and I really want to because my sister has already seen it before me. Sigh, I guess I'll have to wait.<strong>

**Please review I'm starting to be overrun by cookies and grumpy fiends!**


	35. Chapter 35

**I hate the heat. Stupid sunshine and humidity made it so I have to start work at six in the morning tomorrow**. **Well at least I only have to work a half day. Stupid tomatoes.**

**So here's another chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: CURSE YOU DISCLAIMER! YOU ARE VERY ANNOYING TO WRITE! I don't own PJO let's just leave it at that.**

**Plus I don't own any of the following songs**

**Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder**

**Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen**

**Both are good songs in my opinion. Just saying  
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><p>Chapter Thirty Five<p>

Eric woke up back in the Loner Cabin. He stretched out on his bed and flipped over. Everyone else was still sleeping so that must've meant it was around six thirty or seven. Plenty of time to sleep yet but he didn't feel like sleeping any more. Must be all the Coke he drank last night that's still running through his system. He did have six cans of it. He's never going to have a chugging contest ever again that's for sure.

He decided to get out of bed and walk around for a bit. Lupa would probably ask him if he was ready to start training again today. Let's see if his right hand would be able to hold a sword. He walked down to the Coliseum and picked up a sword from the storage room. He held it under his arm as he walked out and pulled out one of the enchanted dummies waiting to be fought against in today's sessions. He pulled off his sling letting his left arm rest against his side. It looked so awkward there without a hand. He looked away from his hand and grabbed the sword with his right hand. He stood in front of the dummy and paced a bit.

"Activate," he spoke to the dummy. Its eyes went green. "Beginner level one, begin sequence."

The dummy raised its sword and started the most basic move the Romans knew, how to disarm a sword from your opponent.

Eric raised his sword awkwardly with his right hand met the dummy's sword in the air. They exchanged a few parries and strokes, simple moves that even Eric could do properly even with his right hand. The dummy hit Eric's sword hilt, twisted, and flung his sword out of his flimsy grasp and out of reach. Eric yelled in frustration and broke away running his hand through his hair.

"Deactivate," he barked and the dummy's eyes went dim. He walked over again and picked up his sword from the ground. He tried to twirl his sword like he used to be able to do but lost grip easily and the sword dropped to the ground. He tried it again and again and again but each time the sword fell to the ground with no improvement. He picked up the sword one final time and threw it as far as he could away from him. It crashed against the wall and clattered to the ground. He sat down on the ground and looked at his hands, correction hand. It was going to take a while to get used to that.

He peeled off the bandage revealing the stump that was scarred from the cauterizing iron. His arm was narrow which was strange to see without having a hand to balance things out. The rest of his arm was well muscled and scarred from numerous battles. He looked at his right hand. The skin was without flaw after being spared from sword cuts but it was also a lot weaker since he rarely used his right arm to do anything but defend. Soon his stump would be covered up by a prosthetic made of wood and probably bronze. At least he was going to have a hand soon.

Eric stood up and picked up his sling from the ground resting his arm on it so he wouldn't have to deal with it. He walked out of the Coliseum and towards the lake. He had to find a new place to escape to. He walked out onto the dock and sat down with his legs dangling over the edge. Naiads were weaving baskets out of sea grass as usual. Probably the most useless talent ever but at least they had two hands.

Someone silently walked up beside him and sat down. Well, something actually. Lupa sat down and looked over the lake as the sun rose up above the lake.

"Are you prepared to begin training, hero?" she asked.

Eric looked down into the water and shook his head. "I'm sorry, my Lady. I don't think I can start training just yet."

"What reason do you have?"

"I tried fighting with my right hand earlier. I can't even defeat a dummy on beginner level one. How am I supposed to begin training when I can't even hold a sword?"

"I believe Joel son of Vulcan will have a prosthetic hand ready for some time today," she said and stood up on her paws preparing to leave. "When you receive your new hand I expect you to right away start training again. No more excuses."

"Yes, my Lady," Eric said and bowed his head in respect for his leader. She was showing him a little tough love, making him move along and get back on the fast track of life.

Eric left the dock and walked over to the forge to see if Joel was working early. He wouldn't be surprised if he found him in there.

He stepped into the stuffy room and looked around. Of course Joel was there sitting on a stool hunched over the work table putting the finished touches on the fake hand.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Eric asked.

Joel didn't turn as he answered. "Dude, I can get, like, six hours of sleep and be perfectly fine. That or I'm still awake from all that Coke yet."

"We did drink a lot last night."

"That we did." Joel sat up straight and turned on the stool holding the fake hand. "Ta-da!" He handed Eric the hand. The cuff supporting the hand was made of leather and straps fell loosely from it as a means to tighten it properly. The palm of the hand was made of smooth wood. The joints in the fingers and the wrist were made of bronze and everything else was made of wood. "I had a Trivia kid take a look at it so the bronze is enchanted so you can actually move your fingers and your wrist like a normal hand. Well, try it on then."

Eric removed the sling and set it down on the work bench. He pulled the prosthetic hand and let Joel help him tie it up nice and tightly. Eric tried curling the fingers inward. They responded. He picked up something from the work table and threw it up in the air and caught it with ease.

"It's great," he said quietly. Thinking of the hand and how he lost it only brought up the worst memories.

"Eric," Joel asked. "You all right?"

Instead of lying Eric shook his head.

"You're going to get through this," Joel said and gripped his shoulder. Eric looked up at him with watery eyes. A tear slipped down his cheek. He choked back a sob and took in a shuddering breath. "You're not alone with this." Joel pulled him into a hug as Eric once again broke down. Joel was always the big brother figure to him. Eric never had a strong family. He barely knew his father before he was taken by a raider. Thank goodness Joel was still there for him.

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><p>"Are we there yet?" Brian asked.<p>

"No," Mae answered for the umpteenth time.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"Shut up, Brian," Tyler and Mae said in unison.

"You know," Tyler said, "I think I liked it when you were singing instead of asking stupid questions."

"NO!" Mae shrieked. "Take it back, Ty, take it back!"

Brian smiled and took this as an opportunity to belt out some random song with the voice he was blessed with by he oh so awesome father Apollo. _"__Like a fool I went and stayed too long. Now I'm wondering if your love's still strong. Oo, baby, here I am, signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!"_

"You just had to state your opinion," she said to Tyler and watched Brian up ahead as he did his little dance and continued to sing down the beaten path.

"_Then that time I went and said goodbye. Now I'm back and not ashamed to cry. Oo, baby, here I am, signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!"_

"Would you rather have him asking very stupid questions for the next few hours?" Tyler asked.

"No but he's still annoying even when he's singing!"

"_Here I am baby. Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm yours!"_

"Although," Mae said. "He can sing Stevie Wonder songs very well."

"He's like a walking IPod," Tyler answered. "I wonder if he takes requests."

"We haven't even reached the Living Underworld yet and I'm already starting to question your sanity."

Tyler didn't seem to hear her and yelled up ahead, "Yo! Brian! Can you sing Bohemian Rhapsody?"

"You bet your ass I can!" Brian yelled back. "_Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality. Open your eyes, Look up to the skies and see, I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy, because I'm easy come, easy go, Little high, little low, any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me."_

"You guys are going to drive me around the bend!" Mae said and covered her ears.

"You should've known that before you asked us to join you on your quest," Tyler said and threw Cooper's tennis ball into the thick brush off the beaten path.

"_Mama I just killed a man, put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead. Mama, life had just begun, but now I've gone and thrown it all away."_

Mae sighed and thought how difficult this journey was going to be with Brian's constant singing and Tyler's constant mocking and friendly jibes. Oh it was going to be a very long time before they could settle down for the night.

"_Too late, my time has come, sends shivers down my spine, body's aching all the time. Goodbye, ev'rybody, I've got to go, gotta leave you all behind and face the truth."_

A VERY long time indeed.

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><p>As the sun grew lower in the west Brian's singing slowly died down as he dragged his feet along the ground. Mae could see the desert through a clearing in the trees. That would be a good place to rest for the night. Near the forest for refuge so they could keep a look out for raiders. Good thing raiders never stayed near the border of the Living Underworld. They always liked to have control of things. Nature spirits were uncontrollable. In the desert barely anything grew so they could master their own home and property.<p>

"Can we stop for the night?" Brian begged.

"Is his begging better than his singing?" Tyler asked.

"I'd rather have his singing actually," Mae said and looked back at Brian who looked like he was about to pass out. "We'll camp just outside of the forest on the desert. We are going to take turns for watch. I'll go first since obviously some drama queens here need their beauty sleep."

"That I do," Brian answered and yawned not caring about the insult.

As soon as they reached a nice clear spot on the sand, ate a little food and set out some blankets to sleep on Mae timed when Brian fell asleep.

"I bet five seconds," Tyler whispered.

"I bet three seconds," Mae said as they watched Brian slowly close his eyes and fell on his blankets in exactly three… two… one. A snore came declaring Mae as the winner of the bet.

"Yes!" Mae cheered knowing nothing would wake Brian up until he had at least three hours of solid sleep. Then he would take second watch for the night. "You, Mister Tyler Anderson, owe me three drachmas. Pay up."

"I swear you cheated," Tyler grumbled and pulled out three golden drachmas from his pocket and set them down into Mae's open hand.

"I swear I didn't. I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face if I did."

Tyler smiled and stretched realizing how tired he actually was from the day's walk. Cooper was already asleep by the fire but would wake up in a moment's notice if need be.

"Are you going to be okay on first watch," he asked and yawned.

"I should be fine," Mae answered and stared up at the night sky. "Go ahead and sleep, you're starting to look like a zombie."

Tyler nodded and didn't say a word as he fell back onto his makeshift bed and was asleep in no time. Mae stared up at the sky for a bit. The stars were so clear tonight with no human air and light pollution clouding them from view. There were some perks to this land after all. The glorious sun rises and sun sets. The moon so bright and full. The stars sparkling down on them. The night is so peaceful, so breathtakingly beautiful. Finally, Mae has found peace within herself.

She rested on her back staring up at the sky as the fire died down to a few glowing embers. She had a feeling that her watch was almost over and that Brian should take over. She's never seen him awake at night before. He wasn't a child of the night really. It would be funny to see him though.

Mae smiled inwardly as a sound caught her ear. She sat up straight and looked around. Cooper must've heard something too because his head was up and his ears alert. She looked around in the night her fingers resting on the hilt of her sword ready to defend if a monster stumbled upon their camp.

The sound came again, a quiet, distressed whimper. Cooper turned his attention to Tyler who was having a difficult time sleeping. Mae crawled over to his side to see what was happening. Apparently he was having a nightmare, a bad one at that. She's never seen him have a nightmare before. She was always asleep when they happened and if they did happen they already passed by the time he woke her up.

His skin was hot and clammy. He was twisted in his blankets as the nightmare plagued on. Mae tried shaking his arm but the nightmare held onto him tightly. He whimpered and flinched. She shook him again, hard. This time he wakes up and sits up immediately, breathing hard. He stands up warily and takes a few steps away from the fire.

"Ty?" Mae whispered. "Are you okay?"

Tyler didn't say anything and kept his back towards her. Mae stood up and took a few tentative steps towards him. She placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. He turned and slapped it away.

"Just leave me alone," he said coldly and turned his back towards her again.

Mae stepped back, shocked. She was only trying to help and he turned on her. She walked back to the dying fire and sat down. Cooper put his head back down on his paws and closed his eyes.

"I'll take watch," he said. "And I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven," she said and lay down on the pile of blankets.

After a few silent minutes Tyler returned to the fire and sat down in front of it. Mae was already asleep. Did he ever mess up there. He cared about her deeply and he just slapped away her good intentions. He would make up for it tomorrow though. If only she would know how much he actually did care for her. He stared up at the stars and waited for morning.

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><p><strong>I just want to thank you guys for all the reviews you have given me. They make me happy and the fiends shut up. For once peace and quiet! Now I have to figure out how to deal with the voices...<strong>


	36. Chapter 36

**Ta-da another chapter ready for you guys. Thanks for the review for last chapter. I love it when you do that. COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!**

**So this chapter is mainly walking and talking and a big... thing that is revealed at the end of the chapter. So yeah.**

**Special thanks goes out to the good book, thank you for reviewing and adding my story. It makes me feel special :)  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: If you weren't an inanimate object, disclaimer, I would certainly kill you. I don't own PJO.**

**I also don't own any of the following songs used in this chapter**

**Superstition by Stevie Wonder**

**Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen**

**Disturbia by Rhianna**

**The Reason by Hoobastank (I think that's a cool word to say. Hoobastank)**

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><p>Chapter Thirty Six<p>

Her dream started out a little something like this.

It was night in the dream. The sand on the ground meant she was in the Living Underworld and the silhouettes of plants in the back meant she had to be around a plantation.

Continuing on, a raider came into view dragging a slave by the hair. The raider's hood was pushed back revealing his bald and sun dried head. The young slave girl (younger than Mae) he was dragging didn't scream out in pain like Mae expected her to or say anything or struggle. The slave just let herself be dragged along the course desert ground burning whatever skin came into contact with it. The raider continued to drag the girl behind a low stone building where the whipping posts stood. The raider threw the girl towards the posts where she rolled onto her side and the raider paced before her.

"I've heard the slaves were planning to make a huge escape soon," he said and took out his whip. The girl spat out blood on the ground. Her face was bruised and bloodied. Her clothes were torn in several places. "And that you are the leader for this so called uprising." He walked over to her and grabbed her by her throat making her look at him. "Tell me, slave," he said and pushed messy black hair out of her face. "What gave you the inclination that you could ever escape from me?"

"I wasn't trying to escape from you," she said weakly and spat out more blood. "I was trying to show you that Romans never back down."

The raider snarled at first but then grinned with yellow and cracked teeth. "I was hoping you would say that. Now it's your time to show me that Romans never back down. Get out here, boy." Someone else entered the dream. An older youth with dark hair pulled back.

"You called for me, master?" he said respectfully.

The raider pushed the coiled whip into the young man's chest. "I want you to deal with her while I deal with the other unruly slaves. Don't stop until I come back."

The young man took the whip in his hands and waited for his master to disappear into another building before tending to the young girl. He slipped the girl's shirt off and threw it on the ground. He tied her up between the whipping posts.

As he tightened the knots on her wrists she spoke to him. Quiet and careful so their master wouldn't overhear their conversation. "The slaves are getting restless," she whispered. "Even at the market they were passing on the plan to everyone." The young man said nothing and double checked the knots. "Won't you help us?"

"If I don't do this the master will do terrible things to us," he answered abruptly. "He'll beat both of us until we are almost dead then he will bring us back to the living for more. He won't stop hurting us. Believe me, I speak from experience." The man winced as if remembering what pain he went through to survive.

"It's because he is treating you better than us that you won't help us isn't it?"

"No it's not. I'm not helping you because once we get out of here we have a very slim chance of escaping. No food, no water, we're better off staying slaves." He cut off the conversation from there and stepped behind the girl with the whip in his hand. He closed his eyes and swallowed preparing himself for what he was about to do, whip another demigod.

He opened his eyes, pulled back his arm and brought it down with the whip in hand landing it on the girl's back leaving behind a thin red line. He repeated the process until his master returned which wasn't until the slave girl's back was torn, she was slumped between the posts passing out from the pain, and the sun was starting to rise in the east.

The raider finally returned ending the whipping. "I didn't think you had it in you, boy," he said to the young man and took back his whip. He ran his hand over it sending thick drops of blood on the ground and over the young man. The young man just stood there obediently waiting for his next orders not bothering to wipe off the drops of blood on his face. "Take her back to the barracks," his master said. "It's getting harder to keep these slaves in line. Hopefully this will teach them a lesson."

The raider walked away mumbling words about disrespectful slaves and what not. The young man walked over and gently released the girl of her bonds lightly dropping her to the ground. He picked up her shirt and covered up her chest as he picked her up gently in his arms feeling the blood drip onto him. The girl didn't even twitch.

He carried her to the slave barracks and set her down on her palette. All the other slaves were awake and wide eyed with fear. Obviously the master scared the living Tartarus right into them. He set her down on her stomach and placed her shirt over top of her torn back to try and protect her from the dust and flies. She wouldn't be working today that's for sure. He looked over his shoulder at the other slaves and they all looked away in fear.

Only then did Mae know who the two slaves were. The girl was Zach's rebellious sister Chloe and the young man who whipped her was her brother, Kyle. Mae recognized the raider in the dream, the one who had the big ego. If this dream meant something Mae understood two things. The slaves were growing restless but it would also mean it would be harder to travel through the Living Underworld unseen.

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><p>"Wake up, Mae," said Tyler. "We gotta get moving."<p>

Mae sighed and kicked off her blankets. The sun had already risen casting an orange glow across the desert. She stood up and stretched then started sticking everything into Brian's magical duffle bag.

"Is there anything to eat?" she asked.

Brian threw her a granola bar. She caught it and tore off the rapper sticking it into her back pocket to make sure they wouldn't leave any traces behind. Even the ashes from the fire had been kicked away.

"So where do we go from here?" Brian asked and shouldered his bag.

"I think the best place to set up is near the mountains," she answered and stuffed the last of her granola bar into her mouth. "Lots of caves to provide hiding spots and places to stay permanently."

"Right," he said, "mountains, wonderful."

The trio began their long journey into the endless desert stopping every once in a while for a short break then starting up again for the next couple of hours. While walking Brian continuously sang random songs and didn't care what the other two thought of him.

"_Very superstitious, writing's on the wall. Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall. Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass. Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past."_

"I wonder if he'll run out of songs one day," Mae pondered.

"I doubt it," Tyler said and scratched Cooper behind the ears. "I think he knows every single song known to mankind."

"_Very superstitious, wash your face and hands. Rid me of the problem, do all that you can. Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong. You don't wanna save me, sad is my song."_

"How can that be possible?" she asked. "There's like a gazillion and a half songs out there. I doubt he has the brain capacity to remember all of those songs."

"Would you rather listen to him complaining and whining constantly instead of singing?"

Mae grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, I admit it. I like it when he sings.

"_When you believe in things that you don't understand. Then you suffer. Superstition ain't the way, no, no, no. _Alright! Next song!_" _Brian cheered and began the next song that came to mind. "_This thing called love I just can't handle it, this thing called love I must get round to it. I ain't ready. Crazy little thing called love."_

"Doesn't he know anything else other than the oldies?" Mae asked to no one in particular.

"Well then shout out a song and he'll sing it," Tyler said.

They continued to walk in silence before Mae actually felt like shouting out a request. Once he finished the song he was on and was about to go on to some other song from the seventies Mae shouted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"Disturbia!" she shouted.

"You asked for it!" Brian yelled back. _"No more gas in the rig. Can't even get it started. Nothing heard, nothing said. Can't even speak about it. All my life on my head. Don't want to think about it. Feels like I'm going insane. Yeah."_

"I'm amazed and slightly disturbed that you both know Rihanna," Tyler said.

"It was the first thing I heard when we were at camp for my funeral," she said. "The Venus kids had their music on and such and I guess the music just stuck to Brian's brain as well as mine."

"_Throw on your brake lights. We're in the city of wonder. Ain't gonna play nice. Watch out, you might just go under. Better think twice. Your train of thought will be altered. So if you must faulter be wise  
>Your mind is in Disturbia. It's like the darkness is the light. Disturbia. Am I scaring you tonight<br>Disturbia. Ain't used to what you like. Disturbia. Disturbia."_

"So while he's entertained what is your oh so magnificent plan?" Tyler asked and stared across the sand.

Mae looked over at him for just a minute. He wasn't sleeping well. His face showed it all too well. "Well first I was thinking we could find a nice cave to hide in and set down our stuff."

"And make it a base camp," he offered.

"Sure."

"_Release me from this curse I'm in. Trying to maintain. But I'm struggling. You can't go, go, go. I think I'm going to oh, oh, oh."_

"And then what?" Tyler asked.

Mae looked away from him and at the horizon. "Then we start scouting mission and learn as much as we can about the area we live in. We see how long it takes to get to the central market and where the nearest plantations are then we know where to and not to go."

"How long do you think that'll take?"

"I don't know," she answered. "A week, two weeks? It depends on a lot of things."

"_Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum. Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum. Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum. Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum. _WOOHOO!" Brian cheered. "Next song! _I'm not a perfect person. There's many things I wish I didn't do."_

"Does anything ever dampen that kid's spirit?" Mae said.

Tyler shrugged. "It's Brian son of Apollo, the kid of smiles and sunshine."

"_I've found a reason for me. To change who I used to be. A reason to start over new and the reason is you."_

"Anyway," Mae said, "continuing on, once we have the layout of the land around us down and memorized then I think we can start the extreme part of my plan."

"And that is?"

"We sneak onto plantations at the dead of night and steal away maybe two or three slaves without waking the others up so we won't have a mass panic. We take those slaves back to our cave before morning and send them to the nearest woods and off they go to camp."

"_I wish that I could take it all away. And be the one who catches all your tears. That's why I need you to hear."_

"I have a question," Tyler asked.

"What?"

"If we are only going to be kidnapping-"

"Rescuing."

"Whatever. If we are only taking two or three slaves at a time we are going to be here forever. Who knows how many slaves are out there and we are going to kidnap-"

"Rescue."

"-All of those slaves? Mae, be a little realistic here. We can't do it when it's just us three."

"_I've found a reason to show. A side of me you didn't know. A reason for all that I do. And the reason is you."_

"I'm still getting there but that's all I've got right now, Ty," she said. "Just give it a chance."

"Alright this had better work."

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><p>Once Brian's singing stopped they decided to make camp for the night before Brian started complaining. They had no fire this time to avoid attracting attention to themselves. Brian fell asleep as usual right when the sun went down. He was out cold. Mae offered to take first watch by Tyler insisted he take it this time.<p>

"Why do you want first watch?" she asked as she spread her blankets out underneath her. "You need your rest too."

"I'm not tired," he claimed.

"Ty, I know you're lying to me. Now tell me, when did your nightmares start to get this bad?"

He didn't answer at first but ran his hand over his forearm where the _servus _scar was from the Andromeda. "A week ago," he said quietly. "I guess it's because I was stressing over the fact that I was coming back here. I kept thinking back to when I was captured, when I was sold, when I w-was bea-beaten." He swallowed hard and closed his eyes trying to gain control of his stutter with no success. "E-every night I, I, have th-them. Th-they w-won't stop, M-Mae. Th-they won't st-stop."

"Then why didn't you stay back at camp?" she asked calmly. "I would've understood instead of seeing you suffer all the time."

He shook his head and looked right at her. "K-keep you s-safe."

"You know, I do have Brian and Cooper to keep me safe."

He shook his head. "Not w-what I m-mean."

"What do you mean then?"

Tyler shifted his position so he was closer to her leaving only a few inches between them. He reached up and tucked back her short black hair behind her ear. He spoke so quietly as he brought his hand down tracing her jaw. "I love you."

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><p><strong>*Gasp* Tyler finally admits he loves Mae. How is she going to react during the next chapter? I'm so confused!... Oh wait, no I'm not, I already know the answer.<strong>

**Review please! (hurry before the fiends wake up)**


	37. Chapter 37

**Okay so here's the answer to last chapter... It's a little shorter than my previous ones but meh its a chapter ain't it? I also posted this chapter today because tomorrow I am leaving to go camping. Details will follow later.**

**Disclaimer:... You haven't died yet have you... Well fine, have it your way. I don't own PJO.**

**I also don't own I Wish by Stevie Wonder... If you can't tell I like Stevie Wonder**

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><p>Chapter Thirty Seven<p>

Mae stared at Tyler for a moment at a loss for words. He dropped his hand back to the ground expecting an answer. She looked away from him trying to think of what to say. All she did was look back at him, smile awkwardly and nod. But that wasn't the answer he was hoping for.

"Well?" he said.

"Well what?" she asked hoping this conversation wasn't going where she thought it was.

"I just proclaimed my love for you and you have nothing to say?" he said starting to get angry.

"I'm sorry but you kind of caught me off guard."

He laughed a short violent laugh. Mae was starting to become frightened. "I caught you off guard? I don't think so. Mae, I'm pretty sure you've known I've had feelings for you. Even Brian can tell there's something going on between us."

"What if I don't want anything between us and that I just like the friendship that we have right now."

He didn't like the sound of that. He looked away from her with his jaw set. "You know me, Mae. You know what sets me off and you know how hard it is for me to talk to someone I don't know without stuttering. You know it's hard for me to become close to someone because I'm afraid I'll lose them since that's what's happened every time I was sold. I would make a friend and then lose them a few months later. I love you, Mae. I would do anything for you. Tell me what to say and I'll say it. Tell me what to do and I'll do it but I will never leave you."

"But I can't love you back," she said quietly. Tyler looked away clearly hurt. He stood up and took a few paces away from where they were sitting. She stood up and followed him keeping herself a safe distance away from him. "I'm sorry if I hurt you but this is the best way. I can't love you, Ty."

He turned. "Why? If I can love you then why can't you love me?"

"I loved someone before. They got hurt. I can't let that happen again especially not to you. The reason why I faked my death is because it prevented people from becoming close to me so they wouldn't become endangered themselves."

"Then why," he asked angrily, "did you let me come on this quest, huh? Why did you take me and Brian with you if you knew people got hurt?"

"I took you and Brian with me because I made a promise to my brother that I would take two people with me. But that's not the only reason I decided to let you come. I care about you but more like best friends. I couldn't let you become destroyed like all my other friends back at camp. That's proof that I still care about you but I just can't love you because it's just too dangerous."

Both went silent after that. She took a few steps forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I still love you, Ty. But not the way you want me too."

He looked over his shoulder at her. Saddened emotions were written all over his face. He gently pulled her hand off his shoulder and started to walk forward off into the dark.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"A walk," he said. "Get some sleep I'll be back soon."

Mae turned and went back to her bed as Tyler continued to walk away. She lay down on her blankets and curled up. Things between her and Tyler would probably never be the same. Oh who was she kidding she ruined their friendship. Tyler loved her and she… well she _liked _him a lot but she couldn't love him. Not yet anyway, not until her purpose was fulfilled. But even when that day came would he still love her back after she crushed him?

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><p>Morning came. They ate, they packed up, they continued on their journey. Brian was in his usual mood singing any song that came to mind but the mood between the others was quite different. They were quiet instead of talking to each other and kept a large distance between them. Mae didn't feel like talking since there was nothing she could say to show how truly sorry she was for her words last night. Tyler didn't talk since he's said everything that could be said. Now all he could do was wait until Mae returned his love, if she ever returned it.<p>

"_I wish those days could come back once more. Why did those days ev-er have to go. I wish those days could come back once more. Why did those days ev-er have to go. Cause I love them so."_

Mae blocked out Brian's singing and focused on the empty expanse ahead. The mountains were slowing growing as they approached them. So far their journey has been boring and dull. Not even one single monster has crossed their path. Which was good but Mae was itching to kill something. Curse that inner death child.

She looked over at Tyler. He was staring at the ground as he walked forward. He still looked upset from last night. She sighed and walked over to him. He barely acknowledged her presence.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry last night's conversation didn't turn out the way you wanted it too."

He continued to stare at the ground and said nothing. Mae shook her head and walked away from him putting a distance between them. She truly did hurt him and somewhat shatter the trust they had between them.

"_I wish those days could come back once more. Why did those days ev-er have to go. I wish those days could come back once more. Why did those days ev-er have to go," _Brian sang.

The next few hours were pretty much the same. Brian would sing. Mae and Tyler would walk in silence. The mountains grew before them blocking out the sun and casting a long shadow along the ground. They began to climb over the foothills of the mountains looking for a cave to live in. Once they found one that was large enough and wasn't too damp they set up their base camp they planned to live in for however long it took them to complete their mission. Tyler went out with Cooper to scout for an available source of water. Mae sat out of the mouth of the cave and looked out at the expanse of desert. Brian continued to hum to some unknown song as he emptied his bag of stuff and stacking everything in neat piles. When he was down he sat down beside Mae.

"Well we've got our cave," he said optimistically. "I think it's a nice cave too."

"Only you would say it's a nice cave," she said.

"Well it is a nice cave you have to admit. So what are we going to do tomorrow?"

"Scouting," she said. "We're going to split up and see what's around the cave like plantations and market wise. Once that's done we'll plan a raid on some plantation and steal away some slaves at night."

"Like the raiders do to us."

"Exactly."

Brian nodded. Silence soon fell between the two. He looked over at her and followed her gaze. She seemed to staring out where Tyler went off and disappeared.

"So," he said breaking the awkward silence. "You and Tyler huh?"

"No," she said flatly. "Not _me _and Tyler. We're just friends."

"Oh, I just assumed-"

"Well you assumed wrong!" she spat. "Sorry I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"Don't worry I can tell you're under a lot of stress right now."

She nodded. "He loves me but I can't love him back. It's too dangerous."

"Are you afraid you'll lose him?" Brian asked.

She nodded again. "If someone starts loving me they'll only get hurt. It's happened to my family and to… to someone else. And it tears me up inside that I can't love him. Stupid Venus and her love magic."

The sky rumbled above them. "Yeah, yeah, I know I'm pushing my luck!" she answered. Mae turned to Brian and looked at him. "Why do you sing all the time?"

"What?" he asked feeling confused.

"Why do you sing?"

He shrugged. "Why not sing? Singing makes me feel happy. I think I sing because it reminds me that there is still some good in this world that not everything has to end in heartbreak and stuff like that. Singing makes me happy. I think that's all there is too it."

Mae sighed. "I wish I was optimistic like you."

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><p>Eric ran back to the Loner cabin and slammed the door shut. He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands. Today was a terrible day. It was an Assessment day but he didn't feel like going to it. So he hid in the woods for the whole day and didn't come out until it was over. Of course Lupa found out and that led to a huge problem. Skipping out on Assessment day was forbidden. No one ever thought of it because no one has ever tired it before expect Eric. What made him do this? He was sick of his life here. He didn't want to train anymore it just wasn't worth it when you couldn't protect the ones you loved.<p>

A quiet knock came upon the door. "Hey, Eric," a gentle voice said. "You in there?"

"Yeah," he said hoarsely. "Come on in."

Joel opened the door and came into the room. He stood in front of Eric. "What happened with you and Lupa?"

Eric sighed and stood up taking all of his belongings and stuffing them into his backpack. "I was kicked out."

"Come again?"

"Kicked out!" he yelled. "Banished! Exiled! Expelled! Whatever you want to call it I was kicked out of camp today." He finished packing his few belongings and zipped up his backpack slinging it over his shoulder.

"What'd you do?" Joel asked calmly.

"Skipped the Assessments," he answered. "I just don't see the point in training anymore. I'm sick of it."

"Oh," Joel said and rubbed the back of his neck. "So you're leaving?"

He nodded. "Right now actually. I don't know where I'll go but I have to get out of here."

"So I guess this is goodbye," Joel said and stuck out his hand.

Eric took it and shook his hand. "Thanks for everything, Joel. The hand, being there for me, for everything actually."

"Take care," he said. "Message us once in a while."

"I'll try." Eric left the cabin and started up the hill. He stopped only to look at the camp down below. It was a good home for a while but it just wasn't for him. This life of swords and blood was never meant for Eric. He turned his back on the camp and readjusted the backpack with his prosthetic hand now covered by a black glove. He walked past the Wolf House and disappeared into the wilderness.

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><p><strong>To those of you who liked Eric... I'm sorry to say but he's never coming back into the story... unless if I make a sequel which will probably be pretty likely.<strong>

**WARNING: I'm not updating for a full week because I'm FINALLY CAMPING! Sadly I have to take the fiends with me but they'll probably stay in the water most of the time... Who knew fiends could swim...**

**I know sad I won't be updating for a long time but leave me reviews I love it when you guys do that...So long and Peace out!**


	38. Chapter 38

**I'M BACK! DID YOU MISS ME? I know the fiends did. Who knew fiends could get sun burnt... I had a very relaxing time on vacation but it is good to be home finally. Thanks for the reviews while I was gone it made it worth the wait.**

**So here's another chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy. We'll see when I update again. I don't know yet I have to get back into the swing of things which is mostly work... stupid tomatoes...**

**Disclaimer: I did not miss you on vacation... I can hear you laughing at me too... grr... I don't own PJO**

**Special thanks goes out to secretbookwitch137 who added my story and to tacobowler who reviewed... Thanks so much**

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><p>Chapter Thirty Eight… A few months later<p>

Mae crouched in the dead corn field as a soft breeze blew by rustling the lifeless corn leaves. It was dark out, darker than usual. Clouds covered up the moon and stars tonight, a perfect night to complete their first raid. She was aware of Brian off to her right and Tyler to her left. Cooper was up ahead sniffing out the way making sure no monster or raider was around. They couldn't fail on this. Not now, they've spent months getting ready for this. After drawing out a makeshift map they've placed all the areas of where they knew plantations and the market were. Too much preparation would go to waste if they would be caught today.

Cooper came trotting back to where they were hiding in the fields. Mae looked towards Brian. He nodded. The three began to run through the fields soundlessly as they have been practicing for these many months.

Mae jumped over the fence first and landed on the path leading toward the slave barracks. Brian followed and ran up ahead first. Tyler came next and kept a few yards back. Everyone was alert for any monster or raider to approach. Once Brian gave the all clear Mae ran forward down the path towards the slave barracks. She jumped up to look through the small square window set in the wall. She counted twenty slaves all of whom were sound asleep exhausted from the work day. She waved Tyler and Brian over. They came silently and swiftly. They entered the barracks choosing the three nearest slaves to take with them.

Mae crept up beside the sleeping figure of her slave and covered his mouth with her hand so he wouldn't scream out when she woke him. He was startled at firsts staring up at the pure black figure above him. Of course he wouldn't recognize Mae as a demigod. He would only see a figure with black armour and a hood pulled over her head with a sort of face mask to cover the rest of her facial features.

She kept her hand over his mouth as he breathed in and out heavily with his eyes wide open in fear. The boy had a right to be afraid. In this land anything could happen to slaves during the night. She put a finger to her lips motioning him to be quiet and then pulled him off his sleeping pallet and out of the slave barracks. She beckoned the slave to follow her and start to jog down the path. The slave followed with Tyler and Brian and two more slaves following right behind them. They ran off into the night.

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><p>When they reached the safety of the cave far away from any plantations Mae jumped and cheered. Finally after many months of preparation and training their hard work has finally paid off. They officially rescued three half-bloods from the fate of slavery. She pulled off her hood and took off the veil covering her face showing her off clearly to the shocked demigod.<p>

"You're, you're," he stammered. "You're a, a dem-demigod?"

Mae laughed and nodded. "Yup and we just rescued you. I can't believe we got away with it!"

"Damn," said Brian. "I never thought it would turn out so well." He pulled off his hood and veil as well.

"Come on," she said. "We should get back into the cave." She gripped one of the slaves by the arm and pulled him up onto the rocks and into the cave. Tyler came into the cave next and started fumbling around for a source of light. He found the matches and struck one lighting the make shift torch they kept for occasions like these. The torch was lit casting a flickering glow in the cave showing off the shocked slaves' faces.

"Where are we?" asked one of the slaves.

Mae sat down on the hard rock and gestured the slaves to sit wherever they pleased. She wasn't surprised when they chose to sit on the blankets that doubled as beds. "You're in our cave where you guys will be staying until tomorrow night. Until then makes yourselves comfortable for the night."

"Wha-what do you want with us?" asked another slave.

"Nothing," Brian answered. "We just want to free you guys."

"So you're not going to keep us as slaves?"

"No," Mae said. "Tomorrow night we'll take you to the woods where I will shadow travel you guys back to camp."

"We're free then?" asked one of the slaves the youngest of the three rescued.

Mae smiled and nodded. "Get some sleep. You're going to need it." The slaves all curled up on the blankets and fell asleep in no time.

"I'll take first watch," Tyler offered and walked out of the cave and sat down.

"Brian," Mae said. "Are you sleeping standing up?"

Brian was leaning against the cave wall his eyes slowly drooping. "Maybe. I could if I wanted too."

Mae laughed. "Take the spare bed for Jupiter's sake. It looks like you'll die soon." Relief swept over Brian as he stumbled in the dim lighting to the spare pile of blankets and collapsed upon them. Mae stood up and walked over to Tyler as he stared up at the clouded sky.

"The rainy season will be starting up soon," he said.

"I forgot about that," Mae said. "It's been so long since I've seen the rains here."

"Me too."

Silence.

"So," Mae said feeling a little uncomfortable.

"So what?" he asked.

"The raid went well after all," she said.

"So it did."

"Are you happy with the way it went?" she asked and twirled a lock of hair with her finger.

He shrugged. "It went well, what else is there to say?"

Mae nodded and yawned. "Oh, boy, I'm tired. Wake me for the next watch, okay?"

"Okay."

Mae stood up and Cooper followed her. The dog has grown much in months she's had him. He now came up to her waist. His snout was longer and his ears no longer flopped down. He was starting to look a lot more like a Hell Hound than a German Shepard but he was a very good dog over all. And a very good dog for sleeping on. Cooper flopped down first near the torch. Mae laid down and rested her head on top of his stomach hearing his heart beat and feeling his chest rise and fall steadily as he breathed in and out. She stared up at the cave. I guess you could say the relationship between her Tyler has grown really awkward. Their conversations usually start with the weather and end in 'how was your day' kind of stuff. At least he was still safe. But for how long would that last?

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><p>Mae took watch later in the night and sat out in the mouth of the cave. It was very quiet out. Nothing made a sound and nothing stirred but the fine grains of sand that was picked up by the gentle breeze blowing through. She drew her sweater closer to her and shivered. Yup, rain was definitely on the way. The rains came in the winter replenishing the dry ground with much needed rain. Most of the crops were done for the season so the slaves would then be needed to work on repairing fences and digging tools until the rainy season was over. Sometimes the storms could last up to a week without stopping. Floods were common during this time. Slaves could be swept away in their dangerous currents and would later drown if the plantations were located in a low valley.<p>

The sky grew a little lighter meaning the sun was starting to rise behind the thick veil of clouds. She could hear Brian groaning in pain as he shifted uncomfortably on the hard rock. No other sounds were made so everyone else was sleeping. She stood up and brushed off her pants making her way back into the cave to scrounge up some food for breakfast.

Mae looked through the boxes safely stowed away in the back of the cave in the driest spot she could find. She went back to the apartment recently to ask John to send her some food supplies. He complied with her request and sent a few more boxes of food. Mostly granola bars and what appeared to be some army rations but it was good food. She pulled out a bag of fresh apples and bit into one as she walked back to where everyone else was sleeping.

Late in the morning some of them finally woke up after a very exhausting night. The youngest slave woke up first. She sat up blinking her eyes in confusion trying to remember where she was. She looked around the cave and focused on Mae.

"Want something to eat?" Mae asked and offered an apple. The slave snatched it up and took a huge bite out of the sweet fruit. Mae pulled out a canteen of water and offered it to the young girl as well. She took it and drank greedily. Mae laughed remembering when she was in a situation like this, back when she was a troublesome slave being questioned by the Bounty Hunters. Her smile dropped as she thought back to those times taking place over a year ago now.

The other slaves slowly woke up as well. Food was handed out along with water to keep them satisfied as they waited out the long day ahead of them. If worse came to worse and the new Bounty Hunters were sent out to find them they would have to move up their relocation plan and bring the slaves back to camp before nightfall.

"Did everyone sleep well?" Mae asked the slaves.

They all nodded, except Brian. "No," he said. "I did not sleep well and you know that."

"I wasn't asking you, Brian," she said.

"Well I just thought I would let you know."

"You let me know every morning," she complained. "Just stop telling me already."

"Never!" he yelled. "As long as I am on this quest with you I will always annoy you with my constant complaints."

"And never ending singing," Tyler put in as he sat up from where he was sleeping.

"And you are NOT, repeat, NOT going to start right now," Mae said before Brian could open his mouth and belt out some random song. "Eat first and maybe later I'll permit you to sing but until then eat."

"Remind me never to talk to you in the morning," Brian said and picked up an apple. "You're all grouchy and mean."

"I wonder why I'm like this. Oh wait, I know why. Because someone didn't wake up and take the next watch."

"You should've woken me up then," Brian said.

"I did," Mae answered, "but you were too out of it. I even kicked you in the shin and you didn't even move."

"Really?" Brian pulled up his pant leg and saw the formation of a large bruise. "Well I'm sorry but I need my sleep."

"Don't we know it," Tyler added and drank some water.

They finished their small breakfast and lounged around for the day. To keep her ADHD impulses at bay Mae contented herself by climbing over the large boulders near the cave. A large pool of clean, drinkable, mountain water was located not too far from the cave, their only source of clean water. She walked around the pool as Cooper ran around sniffing the ground trying to catch little creatures hiding between the boulders. She looked down in the pool and saw the scared figure of a naiad. Naiads did live in the Living Underworld but feared the monsters that used their rivers and lakes. Always scared and always alone sitting at the bottom of their life source keeping away from everything on the land.

She stood on top of one of the boulders and looked out across the land. Nothing moved so no one was coming in their direction. She heard footsteps come up from behind her. She didn't turn to see who it was because she already knew who it was.

"Tyler," she said and looked up at the sky wondering when it would rain.

"Mae," he repeated. "It's going to rain soon."

"Yes it is. This land could really use some rain."

"Indeed." He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Mae, I was wondering if we could talk about something."

"Like what?" she asked and turned to face him making sure there was space between them.

"Can we start over?"

"What do you mean?"

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Can we start our friendship over? I don't like the way it is right now. All we talk about now is the weather and other current events in our lives. I want to go back to the way things used to be between us."

"That depends," Mae said. "Are you willing to accept the fact that I can't love you the way you want me too?"

He shifted his weight again. He didn't really want to do this but it was better than losing Mae forever which is what would happen if they hadn't talked. He sighed and nodded. "Just one question. Will you ever love me back?"

Mae sighed and took a step closer to him placing both of her hands on his chest feeling his heart beat quicken under her hand. "That depends," she said with a straight face. "It depends on if we complete this mission and if you don't kill me after I do this."

"Do what?" She smiled evilly and pushed him into the pool.

He surfaced and spat out the water smiling. "You are so dead."

Mae laughed and ran away from him as he climbed out of the pool soaking wet and chased after her. He caught up to her easily, picked her up by her waist and jumped into the water with her.

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><p><strong>There they reconciled. Better? Well we'll see what I do to them... heh heh heh... crap now I just gave it away... Sigh<strong>

**Review please :D  
><strong>


	39. Chapter 39

**I updated earlier than I thought I was going to. Probably because I was typing for 3 1/2 hours yesterday. All for you guys too. So don't make me send the fiends out after you.**

**I don't really know what to say about this chapter so yeah. That's all I got to say.**

**Disclaimer: Is it possible to kill a word? If not then I will find a way to destroy you! I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! GET OVER IT!**

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><p>Chapter Thirty Nine<p>

When it was dark enough out Mae and the others prepared for the long trek through the mountains and down into the forests on the other side. It would be a long and difficult trek but all of the demigods were strong enough to make it through the rough terrain. She pulled on the veil that covered her mouth, nose, and forehead leaving only her dark red eyes visible. She pulled on the hood from her sweater and walked out of the cave and into the cold night air. The wind was picking up incredibly fast. If they hurried they could seek refuge in the forest as the storm passed overhead.

"Follow me," she said and started down the beaten mountain path discovered a few weeks prior helping them discover an easier access path back to camp instead of crossing the desert again.

The three slaves emerged from the cave and started climbing the rocky trail flanked by two other figures hooded in black armour. Cooper weaved his way through the line of demigods and up to the front where he trotted up ahead as he usually did.

The trek continued into the late night. The sky rumbled above them and lightning flashed around them. The storm was closing in and they only just reached the top of the lowest peak of the mountains. Mae looked over her shoulder. Tyler and Brian were helping out the slaves to climb up the steep embankment. At least the hardest part of the journey was over with. Now it was just a gentle twisting path down to the forest floor below and a shadow travel away to camp and safety.

Once everyone was at the top of the peak and had a short rest they were ready to begin the long climb back down. _Stupid curse, _Mae thought. _I wouldn't be climbing down the mountain if it weren't for that curse holding me. _She kept reminding herself that soon this would all be done with. Slavery would be done forever. And then she would let Brian sleep. The man was impossible to keep up after the sun went down. After letting him sleep for ten minutes she poked him awake. A little sleep is better than no sleep at all.

Mae jumped down from a rocky ledge to the next section of the path three feet below. That was going to be difficult to climb back up. She turned and waited for the first slave to arrive. She helped up her arms to the young slave and nodded. The slave jumped into Mae's arms safely. Mae set her down and helped the next slaves but leaving the boys to fend for themselves.

"Really?" Brian said. "You help them but not us?"

Mae turned and looked up at them smiling behind the veil. "You guys are big boys now. You can take care of yourselves."

"Two words," Tyler said and jumped down from the ledge landing a little hard. "You suck."

"Why thank you." She turned on her heel and led the slaves down the next few sections of trails just as the rain began to fall.

"Let's pick up the pace a bit," she called out and jumped down to the next path turning back to help the others down. The forest wasn't too far away now just a few more minutes and they would be safe, safe at last.

They ran into the forest as the rain fell harder and harder upon them soaking them from head to toe. Mae made sure the slaves entered the forest first looking over her shoulder to see if any monsters tracked their scent during the night. Hopefully all this rain would wash away their tracks and their scent for that matter. Six demigods travelling in one pack was a dangerous thing to do.

"How far yet?" Brian asked.

"This is a good spot," Mae answered and stopped running taking a quick breather. She looked around to see if everybody was here. Three slaves, one dog, two demigods and herself. Check, everyone was here.

"Do you have your ambrosia?" Tyler asked as Mae stepped towards a tree shadow with the three slaves.

"I can take care of myself, Ty," she said.

"You've never shadow travelled three people with you before. I just want to make sure you're going to be okay."

"I'll be fine, Ty. I'll be back in a few minutes." She gripped onto the slaves and pulled them into the shadows.

Pulling three people through shadows is more difficult than it seems. Mae had to make sure she had a firm hold on all of them the entire time while she was in the shadows. Leaving a demigod that couldn't shadow travel in the shadows would be deadly. They would be left in the shadow realm for probably eternity.

She crashed into the forest and nearly passed out. The slaves all stood up and looked around where they were. Mae wearily fished out the little bit of ambrosia she kept with her at all times. She lifted up the veil covering her mouth and bit into the small square chewing the chocolate square slowly feeling the energy flow back into her.

She was about to sit up when she felt cold steel press into her throat. She looked up to see a tall, dark figure standing over her.

"Stand up," the figure ordered.

Mae slowly stood up as the person frisked her and removed all of her weapons. The person kept the sword up to her neck. She peered into the darkness to see the person better. The person was dressed in black armour and a helmet was covering the person's face but she could see dark hair touching the person's shoulders.

"Who are you?" the person asked. The sword pressed harder into her throat. "Who are you?" the person repeated.

"If you remove your sword and send the slaves away I will tell you," she answered calmly.

The person looked over at the slaves and nodded towards the direction of camp. They all scampered away. The person grudgingly lowered the sword but kept a firm grasp on the handle ready to use it again if a fight broke out.

"Gods, Zach," Mae said pulling off her hood and veil. "I never really thought of you to be the uptight kind of person."

He pulled off his helmet revealing the dark hair that's grown longer since she's last seen him and the dark eyes that almost looked black.

"You still haven't gotten a haircut?" she asked.

"We haven't spoken to each other in months and that's the first thing you say to me?" Zach said sounding a little hurt. "It's my life, my hair. I can do whatever I want with it."

"I swear if you start tying it back I'll drug you and drag you to the Venus cabin for a complete makeover."

Zach sighed and sheathed his sword. "I'll see what I can do but I'm not promising anything. Did you find her yet?"

Her meaning Chloe. Mae shook her head. "It's going to be a while yet but so far if everything goes according to plan I'll have her back in a few months. How's life treating you by the way?"

Zach shrugged in his armour. "It's pretty much the same. I train, I eat, I sleep, I take my turn on border patrol and such. How's life for you?"

"Meh, same old same old. Has anything changed around camp?"

"Raiders haven't come by in the past few months," he said. "I guess the watch towers are finally working."

"And what about Eric?" she asked. "How's he holding up?"

Zach looked away from her. "He was kicked out of camp not long after you left," he said very quietly.

"What? Why?"

"He skipped out on the Assessments. Lupa kicked him out after she found out. He didn't tell us where he was going and he hasn't Iris Messaged us since then anyway."

"So you have no idea where he is?" she asked feeling upset that she couldn't do anything to help Eric.

Zach sadly shook his head. "He's a Bounty Hunter, Mae. He can take care of himself."

She nodded accepting the comforting fact. "I should get back then. Take care, Zach."

"You too." He pulled on his helmet and walked away towards the border. Mae picked up all of her stuff from the ground and stepped back into the shadow and returned to the forest where Brian and Tyler were standing around.

"Ready to go back?" she asked cheerfully and smiled.

"You're kidding right?" Brian asked as he continued to lie on the ground. "I am too tired to walk and it's still raining out there. I say we camp out here tonight."

"Fine, who wants first watch?" No one said anything. Mae rolled her eyes. "Fine I'll take first watch. But you cannot blame me for being grumpy tomorrow."

"Fine with me," Brian said and closed his eyes. Tyler laid down as well staring up at the tree canopy listening to the rain falling above them. Mae sat down beside him and stared up.

"Beautiful night isn't it?" she asked.

"It sure is." He closed his eyes and folded his hands behind his head. "I like the rain."

"I know you do."

"Do you now?" he asked and opened his eyes slightly.

Mae looked down at him and pushed the black hair out of his forest green eyes. "You're always at peace with yourself when it rains."

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked at Mae. Their eyes locked. "That's because it's so peaceful when it rains. When the storm is over and the thunder and lightning have passed all that is left behind are the steady drops of rain falling through the canopy and into the thirsty ground below.

"You almost sound poetic."

"I think Brian is starting to rub off on me."

Mae gasped. "How terrible. What can I do to help?"

Tyler smirked and leaned closer. Mae could feel her heart pounding up against her chest. Should she do this? Before she could think about it more Tyler leaned in closer and pressed his lips against hers. Mae closed her eyes and her brain went all fuzzy. All she could think about how nice it finally was to kiss the person she's had feelings for, for many months. True she loved Eric as well but there were differences between him and Tyler. She and Tyler, I guess you could say were closer as friends each knowing what ticked each other off and how to annoy each other to the brink of insanity. Dare she say it but she might love Tyler more. Maybe.

The kiss deepened as he pressed down on her so Mae was lying down on the ground. Tyler kissed her along her neck giving Mae time to think about what she was doing. He brought his lips back up to hers but met her finger tips instead.

"Stop," she said. "Please. Just, just stop."

He sat back up off of her letting her stand up and pace.

"I shouldn't be doing this," she said and gripped her hair as she began a conversation with herself. "I can't do this. But I want to. But then he'll get hurt. But I want to kiss him."

Tyler stood up. "Mae, are you alright?"

She stopped and turned to him dropping her hands back to her sides. She pointed a finger at him accusingly. "Why must you make it so hard?" she whined. "Why are you tempting me like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh why do I have to love you? I can't love you because you'll get hurt and then it'll be all my fault."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked. "Do you want me to say that I don't love you?"

"No," she said and started pacing again. "I don't know what I want, k? I just don't know anymore."

"Do you want to sleep?"

She stopped and nodded. "Yeah, I want to sleep."

Tyler smiled and sat down against a tree. Mae set herself down beside him and set her head down on his lap.

"Thank you," she said and relaxed as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I hate you."

"I love you too. Now get some sleep."

Mae nodded and closed her eyes. Why must love be so confusing?

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><p><strong>Hope that satisfies your craving for my story. Please review the fiends are starting to get grumpy and I don't like grumpy fiends. All they want is chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate<strong>. **If you review then you are helping me retain my SANITY!**


	40. Chapter 40

**I like the rain... It's a pretty thing... instead of all this sunshine and heat... *shudder*... **

**Special thanks goes out to bloggo who added my story and to percysgurl101 who reviewed. And thanks for all the other review too. My sanity was some what retained... actually I didn't have any to start with... oh well.**

**Disclaimer: I have never hated a word this much in my life other than 'tomato'... curse you... I don't own PJO**

**Nor do I own any of the these following songs.**

**Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye**

**Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley**

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><p>Chapter Forty<p>

Mae slept peacefully that night with no disturbing dreams haunting her. Finally! She stretched out on the ground and rolled onto her back. The sun was breaking through the tree canopy and the quiet dripping of rain was all around her along with the birds calling to one another. Ah, yes she does love the forest.

She rolled her head over and saw Tyler sleeping beside her. She sat up and looked around. Brian was sitting against a tree with his eyes closed. Obviously he took the last watch of the night.

"Hey, Brian," she called out. "Are you awake?"

"I think so," he said and opened his eyes. "Last time I checked I was." He stood up and brushed off his pants. "Ready to go back to the cave?"

Mae nodded and stretched. She slapped Tyler on the arm playfully. He moaned and rolled over. An evil smirk appeared on her face. She snatched up his hair and pulled on it until he woke up.

"OW!" he yelled and sat up pushing the hair back on his head. "What was that for?"

"You are impossible to wake up," she said and stood up brushing off her gear. Tyler stood as well and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Mae pulled on her hood and veil and walked towards the mountain. Tyler and Brian followed right behind her as Cooper bounded up the path as always.

"Hey, Mae," Brian asked. "Have you ever tried shadow travelling into the Living Underworld before? Because if you could it would certainly save us all this trouble of walking back."

Mae thought about it for a few seconds. "No, I haven't tried. I'm betting if I did I would end up right at the border. That or I would bounce off the border and end up who knows where. Besides when would I shadow travel here other than this point?"

"Good point." For once Brian was quiet. Until he started humming to himself and then broke out in yet another song. _"Ooh, I bet you're wondering how I knew about you're plans to make me blue with some other guy that you knew before. Between the two of us guys you know I love you more. It took me by surprise I must say, when I found out yesterday."_

Tyler sped up to walk beside Mae. "I'm sorry about… last night," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to… to kiss you like that."

"Don't be," she said and kicked a rock up the path. "I enjoyed it last night. Just don't try it on me again. I want to remain friends for now."

"_Oh I heard it through the grapevine, oh and I'm just about to lose my mind. Honey, honey yeah."_

"I know you do," he said quietly. "You have to keep reminding me every day."

"Well I have to get it through that thick skull of yours now don't I?"

"Hey," he said sounding offended.

"Just kidding," she said and playfully pushed him.

"_Not much longer would you be mine. Oh I heard it through the grapevine."_

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><p>They continued walking up and down the mountain path throughout the day. Mae avoided the puddles of rain water and mud careful not to slip down the steep slopes and cut herself on the jagged rocks. She jumped onto the nearest boulder not too far from the cave and looked out across the desert. The sand was now compacted and wet from the large amount of rain the night before. The sun was at full strength now meaning it was going to be hot and humid and rest of the day.<p>

Mae walked into the cave and plopped down on the blankets staring up at the cave ceiling. She pulled off her armour and black sweater letting her skin breath the cool cave air. She pulled off her veil and set everything down in a neat pile leaving her in a tank top. It was too hot to be wearing all black today.

Brian entered the cave still singing as usual. _"Bright light city gonna set my soul gonna set my soul on fire. Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn, so get those stakes up higher."_

"Hey, Brian," Mae said. He turned to face her still singing. "Since you have so much energy, want to take Cooper on a walk?"

He nodded and exited the cave still singing and dancing. _"And I'm just the devil with love to spare. Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas."_

If there's one thing in the world that Mae would never understand completely would be what goes on in a child of Apollo's brain. They were just too complicated to understand. Plus there's that sunny, optimistic attitude they always had. Mae shuddered just thinking about it.

She napped lightly in the cave letting her body cool off during the heat of the day. When she was officially cooled off she took off her shoes and socks letting her sweaty feet breathe as well. Then she walked out of the cave and towards the pool of water. She sat down beside Tyler who had his legs in the cool water already. She thought that was an excellent idea and rolled up her pant legs dipping her legs into the cold water below.

"It's very hot today," Mae moaned and closed her eyes feeling the hot sun beat down on her face. "I'll be glad when the rains come to stay forever."

"I know," Tyler agreed. "I don't like hot and humid."

"Well," Mae said and opened her eyes to look at him. She smirked. "I have an idea of how we can cool down."

Tyler looked down at her and frowned. "Where are you going with this?"

Mae continued to smile and stood up walking slowly around the other side of the pool. Tyler curiously followed not prepared for what was to come. She stopped and turned around to face him. They were inches apart. Mae came up to his shoulder in height and had to look up to find those forest green eyes she loved looking into.

"Wait a minutes," he said. "I'm having a terrible flashback right now."

"Are you now?" she asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes I am actually and I think it goes a little something like this." He brought his hands up slowly towards her face and leaned down towards her like he was going to kiss her. He looked into her eyes mesmerizing her instantly then smirked. He shoved her into the water.

Mae swam back up to the surface sputtering. "I hate it when you do that!"

"Do what?" he asked innocently.

"Why do you have to be so cute?" She swam around in the pool enjoying the refreshing water against her skin.

"Well I have to admit I do feel prett-WHOA!" Mad closed her eyes and shielded herself from the spray of water as Tyler came crashing into the water with Brian latched onto his back. They both came up laughing and coughing out water.

"No one ever suspects the Apollo kid," Brian said and raised his fists in triumph.

"Brian, where's Cooper?" Mae asked.

Brian frowned as if not remembering that he had a dog to take care of. "Riiiiight, well about that-"

"No, no you just didn't lose my dog did you?"

"I thought he was our dog," Tyler said quietly and swam around on his back staring up at the sky.

"Well I didn't lose him," Brian said. "Technically he lost me."

"He lost you?"

Brian nodded.

"Great," Mae mumbled and swam towards the boulders to climb out of the nice, cool water and go searching for her mutt.

She stepped out onto the hot boulders leaving dark footprints behind. Mae continued to walk along the hot boulders further away from the desert searching for that stupid dog of hers. She tried whistling like Tyler could but it came out as a weak tongue spluttering. She resorted to yelling out the little mongrel's name.

"COOPER!" she yelled as loud as she could. Mae waited a few seconds until she heard the dog bounding his way towards her. "There you are. And what's that you have in your mouth?" Mae bent down and looked at the now dead animal caught in Cooper's mouth as he happily wagged his tail. He dropped the dead animal at her feet and sat down with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and appeared to be smiling proud of the trophy he brought back for his master.

"Is that a rabbit?" she asked and looked at the bloody mass of fur. "Oh you are such a good dog yes you are." She coddled her dog for a moment stroking his face and giving him a belly rub and letting him lick her face. He picked up his meal and ran back towards the cave for some privacy to eat his meal.

Mae quickly ran as she could to the pool and jumped back into the cold water. She swam back up breaching the surface and spitting out the water she swallowed. Brian was sitting on one of the boulders wringing out his shirt over the rocks. Tyler was still staring up at the sky staying in the water as long as he could.

"So," Brian said. "When's the next raid gonna be?"

Mae swam around for a bit before answering. "You guys feel up for a raid tonight? Raiders are usually tired out by humidity. It causes their insides to go all mushy and clumpy."

"Thanks for the mental image," Tyler said.

"No problem," she answered and climbed onto the rocks soaking wet.

"I think tonight would be a good time to go," Brian said and stood up. "Hey, Ty, you ready to go tonight?"

"That depends," he said and swam over to the boulder to crawl out of the pool. "Are you going to trip me again tonight?"

Brian shrugged.

"Wait," Mae said. "What's this all about?"

"Well," Tyler said and pulled off his shirt as well wringing it out over the boulders. "On the last raid while we were running back Brian didn't sling his bow over his shoulder as I ran beside him therefore tripping me and nearly making me break my arm."

Brian only smiled looking embarrassed. "I told you it was an accident."

"You know for a kid of sunshine and happiness you have a corrupt little mind in there."

Mae rolled her eyes and started walking towards the cave as the boys continued to mock each other following behind her.

* * *

><p>"I promise I won't look," Tyler assured her as he picked up a blanket and used it as a screen for Mae to change into dry clothing behind.<p>

"Yeah but I still feel weird having you, you know, standing there while I'm changing," she said and set down her dry clothes by her feet.

"I'll close my eyes," he insisted.

"Will you keep them closed?"

"Yes, Mae."

"Fine," she said and turned around. "But if I see you peeking, you will have the living daylights beaten out of you."

Tyler closed his eyes and held the blanket as Mae slipped out of wet clothes. She took off her shirt first then worked on peeling off her pants pulling them off and setting them down by her soaked shirt. She looked over her shoulder as a precaution.

"TYLER ANDERSON!" she yelled and snatched the blanket out from his hands and wrapping it around her body. "How dare you peek! You little perv!

"But I didn't-"

"ALL MALES OUT OF THE CAVE!" she yelled. "THE FEMALE IS CHANGING!" Mae began to push Tyler out of the cave ignoring his excuses. She pulled on Brian's ear as she passed by him sitting on his blankets.

"Ow!" he yelled. "What did I do?"

"You guys are not coming back in until I say so, understand?" she said and let her eyes glow red.

"Geez," Brian said and rubbed his ear. "I can tell when it's your time of the month."

"Brian, you are digging your grave even deeper."

He threw up his hands in surrender and began walking away from the cave.

"You too," Mae said and pushed Tyler away.

"I didn't do anything," he insisted.

"You keep thinking that." Mae turned back into the cave with the blanket still wrapped around her body protectively. She passed by the beds and stopped staring down at Cooper as he looked up at her innocently. "You're a male too. Out." He cocked his head to the side and folded back his ears looking like the most innocent dog in the world. "I know Tyler can talk to you, now out before I drag you to the nearest vet in the mortal world and have you neutered." Cooper whined and trotted out of the cave with his head low to the ground and his tail tucked between his legs.

Mae walked into the very back of the cave into the darkness feeling a little more comfortable in the dark. It was tough being the only female in this journey. When she got back to camp she had to make some more girlfriends. Teenage boys plus girl in wet clothing needing to change equals something really, really bad.

She dropped the blanket and quickly changed into some dry shorts and tank top glad to be rid of the black pants she's been wearing for the past few hours. She picked up her wet clothes and set them on the boulder outside the cave to dry in the sun while it was still up.

"Okay, boys," she hollered. "The cave is all yours."

Brian cheered and ran into the cave eager to get out of his wet clothing that was starting to stick to him and itch everywhere on his body.

Tyler stood up and slowly walked off towards the cave. Mae looked up at him her eyes drifting as he came closer.

Tyler smirked. "Like what you see, Mae?" he asked as he noticed her staring at his bare chest.

Mae blushed and walked away from him in a fury. "I hate the male species!" she yelled out.

"I love you too, Mae!" Tyler yelled out and disappeared into the cave.

* * *

><p>A few hours later Mae found herself stalking the slave barracks at a different plantation. She had her usual gear on when raiding and hid behind the scraggily formation of a tree that amazingly grew in this land. Obviously there was some good fertile soil around.<p>

She waited for the master of this plantation to disappear into his own private building and go to sleep. She's been waiting for him to do that for almost fifteen minutes now and her ADHD was starting to act up. This was not going to end well.

After another five minutes of standing around with her neck sore from twisting around the tree at an uncomfortable angle keeping an eye on the raider. Finally he disappeared into another building and didn't come back out.

Mae walked forward slowly and soundlessly keeping low to the ground with a hand near her sword hilt just in case. She saw Brian with his bow drawn and an arrow in his hand ready to fly at the nearest monster. Tyler was still making his way over the fence from the field. Cooper was at his side keeping low with his ears perked up ready to raise the alarm if he heard anything that might cause trouble.

Brian entered the slave barracks first. Mae followed then Tyler a minutes after. Mae raised her hand with all five fingers slayed out. The boys nodded understanding what she meant. They would try to steal away… wait rescue, five slaves tonight. Mae bent down to the nearest slave and repeated the process she did with the first slave she rescued. The boys repeated the process with two slaves each. Soon five slaves were out with the others ready to flee.

Mae waved her hand to get the slaves attention to follow her. She took the lead and began to run back the way she came. The slaves followed soon after running as silently as they could. Cooper ran beside the slaves keeping an eye out for monsters on patrol. Brian and Tyler were at the back on watch this time making sure no one was going to follow them.

Mae hurried the slaves past the last field and out into the open desert, one step closer to freedom. She looked over her shoulder just for a minute to see if everyone was still around. The five slaves were with her. Cooper was running at an easy pace beside them. But she couldn't see Tyler or Brian. Then she heard it. Dogs were yipping and barking at each other. Cooper ran back to see what was happening he disappeared behind the corner of the field. The sound of an archer's bow being drawn and an arrow being launched came next. It happened two times. Mae didn't stop though. The slaves were of more importance they all decided on that. So she ran into the desert directing the slaves of where to go.

She collapsed on the nearest boulder as soon as the cave was in sight. Mae helped the slaves into the cave and helped them set up sleeping arrangements for the rest of the night. Then she began to pace. Brian and Tyler were not back yet. They should've been right behind her still, following her and the other slaves to freedom but they didn't.

She paced in front of the cave for many minutes. Even with her eyes being used to the inky blackness ahead she couldn't see them. She heard them first though. A heavy dragging sound and then someone gasping as if they weren't getting enough air. She ran down the boulders and watched as the two figures collapsed at the bottom of the boulders. Cooper came running back from the desert as fast as he could. He started to whine as he nudged the fallen person's arm. All Mae could think of, was it Brian or Tyler? Who was it going to be?

She dropped to her knees beside the person and pushed back the tattered hood of the sweater. Then she pulled off the veil revealing a face torn and bloody. Her stomach dropped and her breath was stolen away. She looked over at Brian who was panting from trying to run and drag Tyler with him. It was just like at the games where she held Eric in her arms trying to keep him quiet. Now she would hold Tyler who was torn, bloody, and dying.

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><p><strong>Tyler: Have you had enough fun torturing me yet? I mean, you made me a slave when I was 11, you made me mute, I've almost died several times and now this?<strong>

**Me: Heh heh heh... yeah well about that I just love hurting my characters. And shouldn't you be dying right now?**

**Tyler: You're the writer here anything can happen.**

**Me: Oh right, I am.. Well I'm not saving your life right now they have to tell me how much they hate me for doing this to you... Some people think I'm mean to you.**

**Tyler: You ARE mean to me.**

**Me: Suck it up. So there you have it, folks. We'll see when I give you the next chapter. So until then review and receive a cookie... I have a surplus of cookies right now.**


	41. Chapter 41

**You guys make me laugh... oh I loved the reviews I got for last chapter. Thanks so much for all of them. So because I finished typing the last few chapters for this story I've started a new story... if I didn't the fiends would complain to the voices and the voices will not let me live it down... Expect to see a story called 'A Soldier's Tale' sometime next week for the prologue... hopefully it will be as entertaining as this one... just remember that it's not a sequel to this one... sequel will come later...**

**Disclaimer: Your time is running out, you insignificant word you. I don't own PJO for the last freaking time I don't**

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><p>Chapter Forty One<p>

Mae helped Brian carry Tyler up into the cave where Brian could take a better look at him. They laid him down on the hard ground and scurried around getting the stuff they needed to save his life. She lit the torch with shaking fingers trying to grasp the fragile match but unable to swipe it against the hard surface of the match box. One of the slaves sat up and snatched the match box out of her hands and lit the torch for her.

"Thanks," she mumbled. The slave said nothing in return and flopped back down on his bed.

"Mae," Brian said quietly. "Can you come over here?"

Mae took in a deep breath and walked over to where Brian was. She knelt down by his side and looked down at his hands to see what he was doing. Brian had his hands placed on Tyler's neck as Tyler shook in spasms.

"I need you to keep your hands right here while I get the first aid kit out," Brian said calmly and clearly so Mae could understand. "You have to keep the blood vessel shut so he doesn't bleed out, okay?"

Mae said nothing and kept staring at Brian's hands slick with blood.

"Mae," he said. "Do you understand?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah I do," she said and moved closer towards Brian. He quickly grabbed one of her hands and placed it where he was blocking off the torn blood vessel keeping blood from pouring out. Brian ran back to find the first aid kit they have never needed to use yet so of course he had no idea where it was.

Mae took in deep breaths trying to keep as calm as possible despite the fact that she had her fingers practically inside Tyler's neck. She took this moment to look for any more injuries on his body that she couldn't see in the moonlight. His neck was the worse of the wounds. More bite marks were located on his hand. Her eyes travelled down to his legs. Through the torn cloth of his pants on one of his legs she saw more damage. She knew the dogs raiders kept on their plantations were vicious, like mutated wolves really but she didn't know they were capable of something like this.

"Shhh," Mae said trying to quiet Tyler. "It's going to be all right. Brian's going to fix you up. It's only going to hurt for just a little bit more. Just hang on, Ty, please just hang on."

"Got it!" Brian said and rushed back over to Tyler's side. He ripped a small package open with his teeth and pulled out a thin thread and needle. "Okay, just keep your finger on the vessel until I secure it." Mae pulled away all her fingers until only one was holding back the blood preventing Tyler from slipping away. Brian went to work right away. Good thing she chose an Apollo kid to join her otherwise she would've been screwed if something like this happened and she had no proper healer on hand.

"What happened?" Mae asked quietly as she saw Brian start to close the wound properly preventing the blood from pouring out.

"Well," he said calmly, "we had a mishap back there. The raider heard us but we were too far for him to catch us so he released his dogs on us and those things are fast. Tyler was the last to the leave the slave barracks so he was the one to be attacked." He took in a deep breath and continued to close up the wound until he spoke again. "Um, he was bitten on the leg first and those dogs have sharp, sharp teeth. I turned back when I heard the dogs barking. Three dogs were already on him so I drew my bow and I shot two of them and then Cooper came by and fought off the other until I got Tyler out and back to the cave."

"Is he going to be okay?"

Brian didn't say anything and continued to stitch.

"Brian!"

"I don't know, Mae. He has to make it through the night first. Can you get me the nectar? I've got the blood vessel closed now."

Mae nodded and stood up looking for the nectar canteen. She brought it back over to Brian as he finished closing up the neck wound and was now working on Tyler's hand.

"You have to make him drink it," he said. "He might be a little delirious so you have to make him swallow it."

Mae nodded and knelt down beside Tyler once again. His eyes were closed, his breathing was shallow and gods was he pale. She pried off the cap of the canteen and held it towards Tyler's mouth. She pushed the hair away from his eyes and spoke to him very gently.

"Ty, wake up," she said. He didn't respond. "Ty, listen to me. You have to drink the nectar. It's going to make you feel much better." She cupped the side of his bloody face and slowly tipped the nectar into his mouth. Willing or not he was going to drink the damn nectar.

She poured a little into his mouth trying not to spill one drop of the precious healing aid. Once he swallowed he stiffened and opened his eyes. He looked around the cave wide eyed not knowing where he was. She poured a little more of the godly drink into his mouth making sure he swallowed it. His breathing quickened as his eyes darted around the cave.

"Keep him calm, Mae," Brian said as he cut off Tyler's pant leg to begin stitching up the last wound.

"I'm trying," she said.

"Well he's starting to move. I can't close up the wound if he keeps moving."

"I'm doing my best, Brian," she said and turned her attention back to Tyler. Lack of sleep was definitely affecting Mae and Brian. They would probably be yelling at each other for the rest of the night.

"He's almost done, Ty," she whispered and trickled a little more of the nectar into his mouth. "Just a few more stitches and then he'll be done. Now stay still." He looked up at the ceiling of the cave and swallowed a little bit of nectar. Tyler stopped moving uncomfortably on the ground as the pain rolled over him. Actually he couldn't feel much pain anymore. The nectar numbed most of it out. That or the dogs bit off any nerves he had left. Until then he would have to try and find a place to escape to in his mind away from this world of pain.

* * *

><p>Mae fell back onto her bed, exhausted. It might be three or four in the morning and they just got Tyler to fall asleep. Brian was going to take watch this time and wait til the sun came up to wake Mae for the next watch. She could still hear Tyler's laboured breathing but at least he wasn't sobbing, not like Eric did nearly half a year ago. That was her fault and now this new incident is her fault. Oh why did she have to let herself become close to Tyler? She was happy with the things were before even if their friendship was a little icy. But at least he was safe, safe and sound instead of hurt and dying.<p>

Mae's heard of things though. She's heard that history repeats itself. She's repeating Philos' life pretty closely. Tyler would probably be Arkoses. Well that seemed to make sense a little bit. As long as Tyler didn't get enslaved she was okay with the occasional bumps and bruises but this? The Fates were being just a little bit cruel don't you think?

She flipped over onto her side and watched the few glowing embers die out on the torch. Slowly she fell asleep with only more dreams of hopeless slaves to greet her. The dreams were always pointing something out to her such as more secure measures to keep slaves from escaping, slaves nearly escaping but being caught, and slaves being beaten. Those ones always disturbed her the most. But eventually the dream would end and she would wake back up in the safety in her own cave for the next watch.

"Your turn," Brian said as he crouched down beside her.

"How's Tyler?" she asked and sat up rubbing her eyes.

Brian shrugged. "He's asleep but there's nothing I can do until morning. All he needs to do is rest."

"What do I do if he wakes up?"

"First try and get him to drink some water. I put a sleeping agent in with the water to make him sleep calmly throughout the night but he might refuse it. He's still a little out of it."

"What do I do if he refuses it?" she asked staring over at the sleeping figure not too far away from her.

"Hold your hand over his mouth and nose once you get the water into his mouth. He'll swallow it when he can't breathe."

Mae nodded and crawled over to Tyler as Brian settled down for a much needed sleep. All this healing has really taken it out of him.

She sat down by his head watching his chest rise and fall as he slept. Bandages were wrapped around the portions of his body that were injured. The already dried blood wasn't cleaned up yet. She could do that right now while he was sleeping. It would keep the flies away and make Brian's job much easier for tomorrow.

She found a rag and her trusty canteen filled with clean, refreshing water. She poured a little onto the rag soaking it lightly and then lightly wiped away the blood from his pale face. Tyler stirred a little in his sleep shifting positions on the hard ground. Mae stopped wiping off the blood and pulled off her sweater. Gently, she picked up his head and slid her sweater underneath so that he could have a more comfortable sleep. Once he was still again she went back to wiping away the blood. She always seems to end up wiping off his blood somehow. Such as on the Andromeda, she's wiped off his blood many times. From the scar on his arm to sword cuts she would accidentally give him. Well come to think of it… some of those cuts may not have been accidents. She can't quite remember anymore.

Tyler groaned in his sleep moving his head from side to side frowning in pain. Mae picked up the other canteen filled with the sleeping agent Brian slipped in. She pried off the cap ready to pour it into his mouth to make him sleep. Then his eyes shot open glistening with the starting of a fever. He gasped for air and started breathing heavily as his eyes once again darted around the cave trying to remember where he was.

"Drink this, Tyler," she crooned. "It'll make you feel better."

But Tyler had other plans. He turned his head away from her. "No, don't make me," he begged. "You're going to hurt me. Get away!"

He tried to push away from her but as soon as he moved he hissed in pain and lay perfectly still once again.

"Tyler, it's me, Mae. You have to drink this please."

He still moved his head away from her. Mae sighed and quickly tipped the water into his unwilling mouth. He tried to spit the water out but Mae quickly covered his mouth and nose with both of her hands. He couldn't move from the pain but still he arched his back trying to get Mae away from him. Slowly he collapsed on the ground as the last bit of strength he had left him.

Once Mae was sure the water went down she took her hands off of his face and sat back watching him gasp for air like a fish out of water. A few minutes later the sleeping agent took hold of him and pulled him back into sleep.

Mae sighed and walked over to the edge of the cave to watch the desert for any intruders. Tyler should sleep peacefully now for a few hours so she doesn't have to worry about him, at least for now. She would probably have to go it alone tomorrow as she brought the slaves back. Could she shadow travel five slaves? She could always do it in two trips. She had her ambrosia with her and transporting three wasn't too bad plus she could sleep in the forest to gain her energy once again. She would also have Cooper with her to keep her company in the forest. She didn't know if he could shadow travel. She would have to figure that out tomorrow when the time was right.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself here?" Mae asked as she pulled on her veil and hood preparing to climb the mountain and bring the slaves to camp.<p>

Brian nodded. "Tyler made it through the night and all I have to do is keep him hydrated and asleep. Hopefully his condition will be better by the time you come back tomorrow."

"Sleep in the back of the cave for tonight," she said worried that no one would be on watch when Brian had to sleep. "I'll see if I can send Cooper back. I should be okay in the forest by myself."

"That would probably work. Until then I'll try and stay awake. They haven't discovered this cave yet so hopefully I'll be fine for one night."

"I hope so too." Mae pulled on her hood and walked out of the cave leading the slaves up the mountain path just like last time.

It was quiet that time. Mae kept thinking this accident could've been avoided if only she hadn't fell for Tyler. She shouldn't have kissed him in the forest that night. That was her one big, stupid mistake. She fell for him even though she told herself over a million times that she couldn't. If there were some way to travel back in time she would definitely take a girl with her instead of Tyler. He would remain at camp safe and sound. Oh this guilt would be gnawing at her for the rest of the day might as well get this done and over with.

* * *

><p>Mae thumped to the ground as she returned from bringing back three slaves back to camp. She bit into her small reserve of ambrosia feeling the energy trickle back into her. It turns out even if Cooper is a hybrid he can still shadow travel but not as quickly as pure Hell Hounds. It took him just a little bit longer to reach camp but at least he could shadow travel. It made her job just a little bit easier.<p>

She lay on her back and stared up the starry sky. It was so peaceful out her. It was just her, Cooper, and her thought. She needed to be by herself right now. Cooper snuggled up beside her and shoved her hand so she would scratch him behind the ears.

"Do you think you can go back to the cave?" she asked as she slowly scratched him. Cooper only nibbled her fingers as he usually did. "Brian could use your help plus I'll give you a very long belly rub when I get back tomorrow." Cooper sat up straight and wagged his tail on the ground. "I take that as a yes then. Well you know the way. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Cooper barked and left her in the woods.

Once she could no longer hear the dog tromping through the foliage she relaxed again. This is what she needed, peace and quiet and some time by herself. She had to collect her thoughts and think about what to do about this apparent little fling going on between her and Tyler. She had to stop it before he got hurt again. He would understand though. She's warned him multiple times. But it was going to be tough to just be friends through the rest of mission. But she had to try.

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><p><strong>You guys didn't expect me to kill Tyler did you? How could I part with my favorite torture victim? My life wouldn't be able to go on without him... So there you have it another chapter and hopefully satisfying for you guys... Please review the fiends like it when you do.. makes them happy and let's me sleep in peace... I like sleep<strong>


	42. Chapter 42

**So here we are again another chapter. WOO! And I noticed that this story has 75 reviews! I was like holy crap! That's a lot!... thanks to all of those who have reviewed it makes my day a little bit brighter... or darker... I can't decide which yet**

**Disclaimer: You know you may be the worst word that has even been made... wait no that's not true... tomatoes is... so you're in second place... I do not and will never own PJO...**

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><p>Chapter Forty Two<p>

As soon as Mae was awake she began to walk all the way back to the cave as quickly as she could without killing herself. She didn't rest as she climbed the rocky path trying not to slip on the loose pebbles. She had to get back, had to see if Tyler survived. If he died she wouldn't know what to do. Oh why were the Fates so cruel? Would she have to spend the rest of her life alone? Would that finally satisfy them? Mae shook her head. One way or another she would complete her life's purpose with all her friends alive.

She slid down the last part before colliding with a boulder. Mae rolled her shoulder feeling a bruise starting to form. She looked up and saw the cave. Her heart started slamming up against her rib cage. Was he still alive? Giving it no more thought she raced to the cave and inside its familiar sense of dampness and shadows.

She tripped over Brian's legs as she entered the cave. He was flat out on a pile of blankets still sleeping. Cooper was lightly napping with his head on Brian's stomach with one of Brian's hands on his neck as if he fell asleep stroking the dog. That was certainly an odd sight to see, a child of light and happiness sleeping beside a mongrel of death and shadows. If she had a camera she would snap a picture and use it as blackmail later on.

She stood up not even disturbing Brian from a much needed sleep and made her way into the back of the cave. There was body in the back corner covered in blankets. That did not look good. She walked over to it and knelt down beside it. If this were a real body then she would truly be crushed. She pushed back the blankets.

"Five more minutes," Tyler mumbled.

Mae gasped and took in a big breath. She immediately hugged him not caring if she hurt him.

"Can't breathe," he said.

Mae sat back up and brushed the tears away. "You jerk," she said and punched his arm. "Don't scare me like that again."

"I'm the one who's injured here. Don't punch the invalid."

"You still suck."

"I thought you might say that." He coughed and shifted uncomfortably on the ground. "Water please."

She looked around for a canteen or anything. She found one lying near Brian and immediately hurried over to Tyler's side and poured some water into his mouth. He swallowed and settled back down on the blankets closing his eyes. Mae swept her hand onto his forehead. He was started to burn up with a fever. He shivered.

"You've got a fever," she said and frowned. A fever could be deadly out here.

"I've noticed," he whispered. "Brian's helping out a lot but there's only so much he can do without his magical healing hands."

"Brian's great isn't he?"

"He sure is."

"Thank you!" Brian yelled out.

Mae rolled her eyes and focused on Tyler once again. Bandages were wrapped around his neck protecting the newly formed stitch from infection.

"I'm sorry I let this happen to you. This is all my fault," she whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek.

He tried to shake his head. "No, no, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have kissed you that night in the forest. I see what you mean when people get hurt."

"But I shouldn't have let you come so close to me."

"Let's compromise and say it's both our faults."

Mae smiled. "How are you feeling right now?" she asked.

"A little better," he said. "Brian says I might have a permanent limp. One of the dogs tore out a bit of the muscle."

Mae winced. "Did it hurt?"

He shrugged beneath the blankets. "It did but I blacked out. My armour's the only thing that saved me from being bitten on the stomach."

"That's good. At least you're going to be okay."

Tyler sighed and went still. "What are we going to do about the raids? I won't be able to run that fast. I'll just slow you guys down."

"We'll figure out something," she whispered. "Just get some rest now."

He nodded and snuggled further into the blankets and went still. Mae stood up and walked over to Brian.

"So," he said. "What should we do about the raids? Tyler can't go out on that leg. He'll slow us down."

Mae sighed and fished out some food from a box. "I think we can do it with just the two of us. If we each take two slaves that's four already. We can do it like that. It'll be slower but we have to take more precautions. That means we'll have to leave later in the night ensuring that the masters will be asleep."

"So the question is when should we go?"

Mae took off her sweater and lay down on the blankets staring up at the cave ceiling. "When Tyler is healed and he can take care of himself."

"That'll be at least a week from now," Brian said.

"I won't have it any other way."

"Okay then." Brian stood up and picked up clean bandages from his pack to attend to Tyler. "One week."

* * *

><p>One Week Later<p>

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><p>Mae ran into the slave barracks and took in a quick breath. Brian followed soon after. She bent down and aroused two slaves from their sleep. She pulled them up quickly not having a second to spare. She ran out into the desert with the two slaves in quick pursuit. Brian followed soon after with his slaves.<p>

They took no chances this time. It was probably two in the morning by the time they reached this plantation. By that time the master of this particular plantation was long asleep. Dogs patrolled the border at night but Cooper provided an easy distraction to lure them away. He could easily take on those wolves. He was part Hell Hound after all.

They ran back as fast as they could to the safety of the cave. Tyler should be waiting there for him taking it easy as Mae ordered him to. She already threatened him a dozen times to keep him back at the cave. He unwillingly complied.

The boulders came into sight after many minutes of running. It was a very welcome sight. Mae pointed to the cave and the tired slaves climbed up the boulders and inside without asking any questions. Tyler limped out of the cave leaning heavily on the makeshift cane they had for him.

"Any troubles?" he asked and hobbled down to the sand towards Mae.

Mae shook her head and took in deep breaths to stop her heart from racing. "Four slaves easily. Cooper come back yet?"

Tyler nodded and pulled out a canteen of water. Mae grabbed it and drank from it heavily until she started to cough.

"Hey, take it easy," he said and pulled the canteen out of her hands. "You'll get sick from drinking it too fast. Walk it off, Mae."

She nodded and started to walk it off like she usually did back at camp. Her leg muscles started to cramp up from the full out run. "How's the leg?" she asked casually.

"Better," he said and leaned against the boulder. "It still hurts like Pluto but I'm managing."

Mae walked over to him and lifted up his pant leg to check out the wound. He no longer had to wear bandages from the amount of ambrosia and nectar he's consumed in the past week. His right leg was much weaker now. A huge chunk of his leg was bitten out on that fateful night. The tissue had already scarred making the skin look all mutilated.

"How sore is it?" she asked and set the pant leg back down.

Tyler shrugged. "I can't put much weight on it yet. It'll start burning if I do."

"At least you can walk."

Tyler nodded and pushed off from the boulder. "Can you help me up?" he asked gesturing to the boulder.

Mae nodded and climbed up part way of the boulder extending her hand for Tyler. He grabbed on and let himself be pulled up the rest of the way. He limped beside her to the cave for a little more sleep. Mae fell onto her pile of blankets without bothering to take off her armour. Sleep was becoming a very precious thing now. It was not a thing to taken advantage of. If the next few months were going to be like this it was going to be a very long time before Mae's purpose would be complete.

They spent the day in the cave watching storm clouds move in and cloud the sky. Mae looked up wondering if she should take the slaves to the forest now or risk taking them later in the night in the pouring rain and howling winds.

She looked over at Tyler who was limping around on the boulders with Cooper walking circles around him waiting for Tyler to throw his ball. Tyler leaned on the cane and threw the ball as far as he could. Mae watched as Cooper tore after the ball as fast as he could. Tyler sat down on the boulders releasing the pressure from his leg. Mae's been watching over him carefully for the past week. She doesn't know how he does it, how he can stay behind here and wait for them to return from the raids. She knew it was tearing him up inside but this was better. She couldn't risk sending him out again.

Mae stood up and brushed off her pants heading back into the cave. She walked over to Brian who was cleaning up all the medical supplies having been done with them.

"Hey, Brian," she called out and stepped around the forms of the slaves who were resting throughout the day. Brian turned to face her. "Do you think we should go now instead of waiting for this storm to pass?"

Brian squinted and stared out through the mouth of the cave. "I think now would be our best option. Tyler will be fine by himself as long as he stays inside the cave."

"He'll go nuts by himself," she said.

"Cooper or I can stay."

"You can stay if you want. Cooper and I can handle the others and if something goes wrong with Tyler I'd rather have you here to help him out."

"Sounds like a good plan."

"Okay then. I'll get the slaves and we'll pack up."

Mae walked over to the slaves and woke them up. Most of them were lightly napping so there weren't many complaints this time.

"We're leaving now," she said. The slaves stood up and followed her out of the cave. Tyler stood up as he saw them approaching.

"Leaving?" he asked and hobbled over.

Mae nodded. "I'm taking Cooper with me. I don't want to be caught in this storm later at night. Brian's staying just in case if something happens to you."

"I should be fine on my own," he said.

"I'm not taking that chance. Brian's staying no questions about it."

Tyler shut his mouth and looked at the ground. He wasn't happy with the decision but he also wasn't one to argue with Mae. He would obey her command anyway.

He whistled sharply and Cooper came back right away. "Stay safe then," he said quietly and hobbled away.

Mae pulled on her hood, as was routine, and started up the mountain path off towards camp, alone once again. The slaves were quiet but she could tell they were excited. In one night their lives changed dramatically. From slaves to soldiers. From enslaved to free. She could go on and on with the differences but that could become a little repetitive. Oh gods was this trip boring. Tyler was right when he said this was going to take forever. Rescuing four slaves at a time when there were hundreds out there would take years. And this was only her third trip over the mountain. She was already drained of all the energy she had in her. If only she knew the Guardian were for real then she could spend all this time searching for the dragon instead of these raids. But from Matt's research nothing definitive has come through yet and he was the most reliable source on the planet. For now her plan would do. Rescuing four slaves was better than rescuing none at all.

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><p><strong>I think this was a meh worthy chapter... what do you guys think? Please leave comments... or the fiends will start biting me<strong>


	43. Chapter 43

**NEVER!... oh sorry.. random outburst there... so I thought about it and I felt like last chapter wasn't exciting enough... so I'm giving you guys a chapter a day early... yeah that's right...**

**and dear tacobowler... I will never cease from hurting Tyler... he's kind of like a crash test dummy for me... what? don't blame me... I'm morbid and insane remember?**

**Disclaimer: I have nothing to say to you!... I don't own anything related to the PJO series**

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><p>Chapter Forty Three... Eight Months later<p>

They came in the night, as silent as ghosts and as swift as the Hunters of Diana. Shrouded in darkness they were. They were assumed to be raiders at first since they stole away slaves like raiders attacking camp. But the slaves they took were never seen again. Rumours spread like wildfire. Slaves who were taken during the night were taken back to camp, their freedom was returned to them. These were good raiders. They defied slavery and everything it stood for.

Slaves waited in the night to be taken away. Some were and some were left behind to discover the empty palettes lying next to them. They would have to wait until these mysterious beings returned in the dead of night to steal them away as well. Raiders were furious to discover in the morning that a few slaves were missing in the morning. They tried anything to stop these raids from happening. Dogs were set loose to patrol the border, traps were set up, they even tried blocking off the entrances to the slave barracks but all were evaded. Dogs were found dead in the morning, traps were triggered but nothing was found in them, the blockades were sabotaged and ruined. Nothing could stop these mysterious beings from taking what they wanted, slaves.

The news was spread through the market. Warnings were posted to be on watch during the night to look out for mysterious beings capturing slaves. Wanted posters were put up offering generous rewards to capture the beings alive. Bounty Hunters were sent out to find them and capture them but after many months of searching they came up with nothing. It was too difficult to track the beings since the tracks were blown away by the winds by the time they reached the affected plantation. No one knew where they would attack next since they followed no pattern. Every plantation was a target. No one was safe.

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><p>"Feel like going on a raid tonight, Brian," Mae asked as she dried her hair as best she could.<p>

Brian stretched out on his pile of blankets taking a little nap in the cool cave avoiding the hot air outside. "Sure, it'll be cooler tonight hopefully. See any clouds?"

Mae turned and looked out at the sky. "No. It's the same as yesterday."

"Nooo, I hate heat. Curse you evil land."

"This land already is cursed, Brian."

"Shut up."

Mae smiled and dropped the towel she was using to dry her hair. How she missed the winter rains. She hated the summer for this very reason. Everything was intensified in the Living Underworld. Of course there had to be the heat, the sunshine, the humidity. Everything was just terribly hot and sticky today.

"Can we turn back time and go back to the rainy season?" Brian asked. "Because that would be super awesome if we could."

"Well we can't so we're just going to have to survive this heat throughout the summer."

"Awww but that's like a gazillion years away from now."

Mae rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed. "It's already August, Brian. The worst of the heat is over."

"But there's still the heat to deal with."

"If I allow you to sing will you stop talking to me?"

Brian looked over at her and smiled. "Of course I would."

"Then I allow you to sing to your heart's desire," Mae said.

"Why thank you. _I'm sailing away. Set an open course for the Virgin Sea. 'Cause I've got to be free. Free to face the life that's ahead of me."_

Mae bit her tongue just realizing what she did to herself. Now he would be singing until the sun went down. But it was better than his constant complaining. After three more seconds of hearing Brian recite Come Sail Away by Styx she stood up and left the cave. She walked back over to the pool and sat down with her legs in the water. She looked around for Tyler. He disappeared with Cooper a few hours ago and hasn't come back since. He didn't even tell her where he was going. Just stood up and left the cave. She was starting to get worried. It was hot out today, very hot. What if he got too hot and collapsed? Heat like this was known to kill people.

She stood up and started to walk across the boulders. They burnt her feet if she took too long to step. She quickly stepped across the stones mostly staying on the balls of her feet. She didn't know where she was going but as long as she looking for him everything would be okay.

The boulders began to rise as the mountain grew before her. Tyler couldn't climb up that high could he? Not with his leg. She heard a dog whining up ahead out of view. It then howled.

"Cooper?" she called out. "Is that you?"

She looked up and saw Cooper's head come into view. He perked up his ears when he saw her. "Good boy, now stay there." Mae climbed up one, last, large boulder and sat down brushing off the rock dust she had gathered on her hands and clothes. Cooper came over to her and nudged her arm.

"Good boy," she said and scratched him. "Where's Tyler, boy? Where is he?" Mae stood up and followed Cooper down a narrow path. "Ty? You here?" She was met by silence.

"Mae?"

She hurried down the path and found Tyler collapsed on the path breathing heavily and trying to stay cool in the little shade provided where he lay.

"What happened?" Mae asked and sat down beside him searching for any wounds.

"I just wanted to walk around but my leg gave out and I couldn't stand back up again," he explained. "I tried to send Cooper away to try and get you but he wouldn't leave."

"See? He is your dog."

"Just help me up."

Mae smiled and stood up extending her hand towards him. Tyler took it and pulled himself up. He leaned on Mae as they began to walk back towards the cave.

"What made you come all the way out here?" she asked and guided Tyler along the boulders.

"I don't know," he said. "Just had to get out of the cave for a while, it gets a little boring in there after being cooped up for eight months."

"I said you could go back to camp," she said and caught Tyler as he stumbled.

"Thanks. And why would I go back to camp? This is way too much fun to miss out on."

"But all you do now is stay in the cave and limp around. How is that fun?"

Tyler hobbled forward a bit before answering. "I'm trying to strengthen my leg when you guys are gone," he stated. "At first I would walk on the ground without my cane then slowly I would walk away from the boulders and the cave, further into the desert. But sometimes my leg would give out and I would have to crawl my way back to the cave."

"How often does it give out?"

He shrugged. "It's becoming less frequent but I can't control when it happens."

"Does it hurt?" She looked down at his leg wincing at the sight of it.

"Not anymore," he said. "I'm thinking once I can run again maybe I could go on a raid with you guys."

Mae sighed. "We'll see."

She helped him back into the cave and onto one of the beds for him to rest. It wasn't a terribly long walk from where he was found but the time Tyler sat down he was drenched in sweat and looked a little pale. She threw him a canteen of water from which he drank greedily.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked and sat down across from him.

He nodded and set down the canteen. "Just a little overheated right now. I should be fine." He lay down on his bed, if you could call it that, and closed his eyes. Mae lay down as well pressing her bare arms against the cool rock. A raid tonight would be perfect. Raiders were always tired out in extreme heat. They wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

><p>This was the largest plantation they've ever been to during the night. Fields were everywhere and there were many buildings here as well. Mae jumped over the fence and broke into a silent run nearing the slave barracks. Brian was already ahead of her and entered the barracks as soon as it was safe to go in. Mae entered right after him.<p>

Just as before they awoke the four nearest slaves and led them out of the barracks. Brian went first this time with an arrow set to his bow string in case if a dog appeared. Mae turned looking for anyone or thing that might give them away. Nothing was in sight. She turned and bumped into something, or rather someone much larger than her.

She looked up expecting to see a raider before her but only met by human eyes. She took a few steps back from the young man in front of her. He didn't run off and yell for his master like she expected him to. He only stared right at her as if trying to remember where he's seen her before.

"Mae?" he whispered.

Mae looked into the young man's eyes. She gasped remembering him dream from many months ago.

"I-I." She couldn't finish what she wanted to say. She's been here too long already. She turned and ran.

* * *

><p>Mae ran back to cave as fast as she could. She almost gave herself away there, so close to ruining their raid. She climbed up the boulders and into the cave. It was time to sleep after all.<p>

"Where were you?" Brian asked as she entered the torch light. "I turned back and you weren't at the back of the pack."

"I saw- never mind I was just a little lost in my thoughts," she said and looked away from him eager to drop the conversation.

"Well don't do that again. You had me worried."

"You and me both, Brian. You and me both."

Mae settled down for the night thinking about Kyle. He truly has given up hope hasn't he? Well of course he has. He's been a slave for eight and a half years. Who wouldn't give up hope? He looked exceedingly thin. Thinner than she's last seen him in person and that was over a year ago. What if his master was abusing him? It was a common thing in this land.

Mae swept the thought aside and settled down on her blankets as Tyler took watch. She would rescue Kyle one day. She would.

* * *

><p>"You know, Cooper," Mae said as she stretched out on the forest floor after a very long sleep. "I kind of like these trips we go on together." Cooper barked as if asking why. "Why you ask? Well I like it because it's just you and me and no annoying boys to pester me with complaints and singing. Just you and me in this wonderful forest of ours and no one is here to bother us." Cooper barked in agreement.<p>

"Do you want to go back now or do you want to hunt for a little while yet?" she asked and sat up leaning back on her hands. Cooper barked twice for the second option. "Hunting it is." Cooper stood up and ran off into the woods. Mae stood up and slowly followed enjoying her time in the forest before heading over the mountain and back to the cave. Time for a change of scenery.

She walked behind Cooper as he kept his nose planted on the ground sniffing for the scent off any animal nearby. Mae looked down at a small stream as they passed by it. It was low since they were going through a bit of a dry spell at the moment. She splashed some water on her face trying to remember what Zach told her last night when they met in the forest as they usually did. Apparently the camp was preparing to go to war with only a few days left to prepare. They were going up to destroy Mount Othrys where Kronos' throne room was held. Heavily fortified and guarded by Titans, monsters, and enslaved Roman soldiers alike it was going to be one hell of a battle. And Mae was going to miss out. But Zach did promise her that he would kill a few monsters for her. He smirked when he said that knowing she would rather fight in a battle than do this rhythmic work. But rescuing slaves was important too, even if it were a little boring.

She stood up and jumped over the stream walking along the path Cooper took still hunting for something to eat.

"To hear message, please deposit one drachma," a voice had said.

Mae jumped when she heard the voice speak to her. Her heartbeat slowed when she saw it was only the misty image of an Iris Message. She dug around in her pocket for a drachma and tossed it into the message.

The mist shimmered and revealed Matt sitting at his desk in the Minerva cabin back at camp. He looked quite relieved that he made contact with her and a little bit frazzled as well.

"Thank gods I got a hold of you," he said. "I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to reach you if you were in the Living Underworld. Phew, crisis averted!"

"What do you want, Matt?" she asked. "I don't have much time here."

"I know you do but I thought you might want to hear this. Doing what I do I was digging around for anything useful against the Titans who are massing near Mount Tam. While digging through some old parchments and stuff like that I came upon a rather odd scroll that is, like, ancient. I started to read it and the further and further I read into it the more interesting it got."

"Matt, please save me the details and tell me what you found out. I don't have exactly all day to listen to you rambling on and on here."

"So impatient and angry. Fine I'll cut to the chase. The Guardian is real."

"… What did you just say?" she asked wondering if this were some bizarre dream.

"I said the Guardian dragon exists. It's real! Authentic! Genuine! Actual! Legitimate!"

"You told me the Guardian didn't exist."

"That's because no one has seen it before," he said excitedly. "Except Philos, Arkoses, and all the slaves that were freed that day but then it disappeared one day."

"And how did that happen?" she asked.

"One word: raiders," he answered. "They probably locked it back up after Philos died and slavery was reinstated.

"And you're telling me this now?" Mae was outraged. "I could've been saved from all this trouble and wasted energy and spent it on looking for the Guardian. Some researcher you are."

"Give me a break I've been quite busy."

Mae rolled her eyes. "I should get going now. Thanks for the news, Matt. Stay alive."

"You too."

Mae swiped her hand threw the message cutting the connection. Cooper came back with his dead rabbit in his mouth wagging his tail proudly. "Come on, boy, time to go dragon hunting." They both ran back the way they came and toward the mountain path. No more raids would take place. They would just have to walk around the mountains searching for a cave large enough to hold a dragon. It would be less time consuming of course but would be so worth it in the end, to finally end slavery. Mae smiled.

As they crested the peak Mae no longer cared if she slipped along the rocks. She had to get back quickly. She was positively bubbling with anticipation to tell Brian and Tyler what she had finally learned. Oh she was so excited to finally learn a way to end slavery. She could feel the end was near.

She ran past the pool with Cooper trotting beside her with his trophy still in his mouth. "Hey, Ty! Brian!" she yelled out. "Good new, I just found out that-" Mae stopped dead in her tracks. There was definitely a struggle around the cave. A broken sword was near the mouth of the cave. Brian's bow was shattered and tossed to the side and all of his arrows were broken rendering them useless. She ran through the cave first. They weren't there. "Oh no," she whispered and ran out of the cave.

She stopped right at the edge of the boulders and stared down. Tyler and Brian were on their knees before a group of raiders. She was dumbstruck. She didn't know what to do.

"See?" said one of the raiders. "I told you that if we waited long enough another demigod would appear. They always like to travel in groups of three."

"Well don't just stand about, lads," said another. "Catch her."

Mae took a few steps back and pulled out her sword, Death Seeker. She crossed blades with a raider pressing him back. She wasn't going to end up in the market again. Not this time. She knocked the blade from the raider's hand and chopped his head clean off leaving his body to fall onto the desert floor. Cooper dropped his rabbit and started to attack another raider. Then her feet were pulled out from under her and she fell on top of the boulder scraping her cheek against the rough surface. Death Seeker fell to the ground and out of her reach.

"I got her!" the raider said excitedly as he pulled tighter on the whip that coiled around her ankles. She looked over at Cooper as he bit the raider's hand and ran off into the desert and out of sight. At least he was away.

"Bring her down here," said another.

The raider walked over to and picked her up by the back of her shirt and brought her down to the desert floor. "What you suppose we do with this lot?"

"We sell them at the market," said the leader. "These are all older slaves. We'll get a high price for them."

"String them up then."

The whip was taken off of her ankles as she watched her wrists be bound together by a coarse rope. The same went for Tyler and Brian. Brian was the first in line. Tyler was second and Mae was tied up at the end of the line. She went quiet and stared at the ground at her shoes in particular. If she couldn't get out of this mess she would have to watch those lovely, comfortable, supportive, black shoes burn. That brought a tear to her eye. She sniffed and marched forward keeping her gaze on the ground. Was this to be her fate? Ending up being enslaved after she was so close to ending it? But as always, history repeats itself.

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><p>They walked during the rest of the day they had and stopped when it became dark. Apparently these raiders didn't know who they were. They never thought that these demigods were the sole reason for the loss of many slaves during the night. No one ever thought that demigods would be behind these night raids. That was one thing Mae was thankful for. She wouldn't be tortured and slowly be put to death by other raiders hounding for her blood. She would just be sold alongside Tyler and Brian.<p>

The line of slaves was stopped and the three were separated for the night. Each was tied to a stake pounded into the ground a safe ways away from each other. Brian was the first to fall asleep as usual. A fire was started later in the night and each of the raiders fell asleep not worrying about keeping someone on watch since nothing would harm them in the night.

Mae curled up bringing her knees to her chest. She was scared again just like the first night she spent as a slave, curled up and alone in the world with no one to tell her that everything would be alright. No, this was her fate now, doomed to eternal slavery. She doubted that she would ever escape from this life ever again.

"Mae?" Tyler whispered. "Are you awake?"

Mae looked over at Tyler in the dark. He was at the end of his tether coming as close to her as he could. Mae shifted her position coming as close to him as she could until they were a good foot apart from each other. She looked up at his face and saw a bloody gash on the side of his face already dried with sticky blood.

"Are you okay?" she whispered so quietly not taking any chance to wake up a raider.

"Don't worry about it," he answered. "I've been through worse. Here," he pulled something out of his pants pocket and threw it to her. She reached forward for it with her bound hands and held it in her hands.

"What is it?"

"The tip of a broken arrow. I took it with me and kept it hidden thinking that it might be useful in a situation like this."

Mae ran her finger tips over the sharp blade realizing that it would be perfect to use to cut her bounds from the stake and escape.

"What about you?" she asked. "I can't leave you behind."

"You're the Fate Temptress, Mae. Your life is more important than mine. Now cut yourself free and run. Run and don't look back."

She looked down at the stake she was tied to. She began to cut the tethers holding her down. She cut through them easily and offered the arrow tip to Tyler. He shook his head. "Run, Mae, run."

"I can't leave you behind," she insisted.

"I can take care of myself now. Run. Live up to your name and run, now."

She stood up quietly and shoved the arrow tip into her pocket. She backed away from the fire as quiet as she could. The raiders didn't even stir. She looked to Tyler once more, turned, and ran.

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><p><strong>I think tomorrow I will put out my new story... so look out for the story 'A Soldier's Tale'... hopefully it will be as captivating as this story was.<strong>

**I think you know the drill now without me having to ask you. :D**


	44. Chapter 44

**This is soooo sad this story is ending soon. :(... but a new one has started so it kind of evened out... I hope you guys like this chapter... it should be pretty good if I do say so myself. heh**

**Special thanks to deMonAtion for adding my story! I hope you enjoy it**

**Disclaimer: I SHALL DEFEAT YOU! I don't own anything related to PJO.**

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><p>Chapter Forty Four<p>

Kyle sat huddled in the corner of the small room he was locked in as a form of punishment. Three days ago he was on watch for the night to protect his master's slaves from being taken in the night from unknown assailants like so many have been from other plantations. And he failed his master. He let four slaves go and let one of the assailants go even though he could've taken one of them to his master. But he couldn't take the person that stood before him that night. He knows what would happen if he did give up his sister to his master. He would do that same thing that he's doing to Kyle right now, maybe even worse things.

Kyle shuddered from the cold seeping into his skin. This outer building was always cold. It didn't let any sunlight in to warm it up during the day. He hasn't seen sunlight in three days either, nor has he seen food. His master wasn't the one who usually whipped slaves when they got out of hand. He was more of the psychological torturer. Whipping one and telling the others what other things he could do to the other slaves if they ever became out of hand. No one has ever since. They are obedient to his every will.

Keys turned in the lock. The hinges groaned and squeaked as the door was pulled open and sunlight flooded in threatening to blind him. His master stood before him blocking the light. Kyle rose to his knees and waited for the oncoming lecture.

"You useless slave," he spat and backhanded Kyle across the face. His dark hair fell in front of his face but he didn't dare to brush it away. His master gripped his hair and forced him to look him in the eyes. "I put you on watch because I trust you more than any other slaves. And how do you repay me after how I treated you? You let four slaves escape!"

"I'm sorry," Kyle choked.

"Sorry doesn't bring four slaves back!" his master shouted and slapped him across the face again after letting go of his hair.

Kyle kept his gaze away from his master. This is the sort of treatment he's had to deal with for a year. But then again his master can be a good and caring master.

"Let's get you out of here then, boy," his master said soothingly and pulled Kyle to his feet. "You must be hungry. Come then, I will get you something to eat."

Kyle was pulled out of the outer building and into the sunlight. He nearly stumbled from being so weak and blinded from the sunlight. His master only wrapped an arm over his shoulders to keep him from falling. In some sick, twisted way it's like his master is his father.

His master led him to his own personal building. He opened the door and led Kyle into the richly decorated room. Trophies were hung on the walls such as animal and monster heads. There are even rugs covering the wood floor. A long table was assembled in this part of the room with many wooden chairs meant for meetings which his master had often. Another door that led to another room was set on the wall. His master approached the fire pit and stared into it as Kyle gripped one of the chairs tightly and waited to be told to sit.

"You may sit, slave," he said. Kyle sat immediately as his legs started to quiver. He was too weak to do anything else but sit. "You must be hungry after three days without food. Sit tight I will get you something to eat."

Kyle protested at first knowing he shouldn't be served by his master but a raised hand cut off his words. His master provided some bread and a bowl of soup. Kyle hasn't eaten anything this rich in… years. A spoon was set down in front of him as his master turned back towards the fire. Kyle picked up the spoon with shaking hands and dug into the meal that was provided for him.

"I know it is not entirely your fault that these figures snuck past you on watch," his master explained. "I've heard word from other plantations that these figures are crafty and smart. They evade capture every time. I know I overreacted when you told me the following morning and threw you in the outer building but that still does not destroy my respect for you." He turned and faced Kyle who was graciously stuffing himself with the rich food. "I will not demote you back to field duty as I've done to others. I will keep you as my overseer because I see that you are a good and faithful slave."

Kyle nodded but continued to eat. His master wasn't so terrible to him. Sure he's received his share of bruises and scars but once you got to know the raider you could see he actually cared about his slaves. His master stepped forward to him and placed a rough hand on his shoulder. "I will be gone for a few days in search of new slaves. Until I come back you will be in charge of the plantation. You know what to do when slaves get out of line, don't you, boy?"

Kyle swallowed the last bit of soup. "Yes I do, master," he said. "I will not fail you."

His master smiled. "That's what I wanted to hear."

As he mentioned before, Kyle's master can be a good and caring master.

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><p>Mae nearly slipped off of the narrow rocky ledge she was walking on. She swore and pressed against the rough mountain face. Cooper was further up the path barking at her to tell her to hurry up. Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one on the narrow ledge he's already on the wider part of the path.<p>

The rocks crumbled beneath her feet. She jumped and landed on the wider part of the path just as the narrow ledge she was just on crumbled into oblivion. She dusted herself off and waited for the scrapes on her elbows and knees to heal. She stared at Cooper who was sort of smiling at her and wagging his tail.

"What are you looking at?" she asked. Cooper cocked his head to the side. "Don't laugh at me. I don't see you trying not to fall to your death." He licked his lips and wagged his tail. "Never mind, don't say anything I just realized I'm talking to something that can't answer me back. Shall we continue then?" Cooper barked and stood. Mae nodded and led the way down a narrow path between two large mountain peaks.

She turned sideways and squeezed through the narrow opening. It's taken her three days to get this far up the mountain after looking through cave after cave without spotting as much as a plant spore. She was not going to get stuck between two stupid rocks now. Cooper barked at her again to get her to move quicker.

"Shut up already!" she yelled. "I know I'm going slow! Just give me a break already." She squeezed through the last little bit of the gap and stumbled out of it. "You must admit, I've still got it." Cooper blew through his nose and turned down the wider part of the path leading into a rocky valley. "Yeah that's right, walk away." Cooper continued to ignore her.

"I hope you're happy watching this," Mae yelled up at the sky. "I've lost two of my best friends who are now enslaved, I'm talking to my dog who hates my guts, and I'm going insane. Is this enough entertainment for you?" Mae laughed somewhat hysterically. She spread out her arms and twirled. "I truly am mad then! I hope you're happy! 'Cause I certainly am!" Cooper barked at her snapping her out of her delusional rant. She smoothed her hair, composing what little sanity she had left, and followed Cooper deeper into the valley. If she were raider this would be a perfect place to stowaway a dragon.

Mae continued to walk around looking up at the cliff perches all around her. An interesting place to keep a dragon she thought. If someone were flying around on a pegasus they could easily see everything from the aerial point of view. Not a strategic place to stick a dragon but it was one hell of a walk up here. It took her two days to climb up here.

As they entered the largest part of the valley a large gaping hold up ahead was placed in the furthest end from the entrance of the valley. Mae looked around. She had an odd feeling about this valley. It just felt strange. She turned her attention down to the ground. It was pretty clear valley. That might be due to the winds that sweep down upon it sweeping away the small rocks and pebbles leaving larger ones behind. Other details marked the valley floor. Darker spots of something Mae couldn't put her finger on. Then she remembered back to the time she visited John at his home, on the walls, dried spots of blood. The dark brown colour popped out at her.

Blood was all around her again. It always seems to find her. Smaller spots appeared on the ground leading like a trail. Others appeared around her. Larger spots appeared here and there suggesting that's where someone was laying when they died.

A pricking sensation came in her right calf. Cooper's ears went straight up and the hair on his back rose. Mae looked down at her leg. An arrow jutted out of it. She gritted her teeth and pulled it out watching the wound close in on itself. She looked around wondering who shot her. She looked around the valley. Something caught her attention from behind a rock not too far from where she was standing. A piece of brown cloak caught her eye. The only word that came to her mind was _raiders._

"The cave, Cooper!" she yelled not caring if she was heard. "Go!" Cooper sprinted off towards the cave. Mae followed as fast as she could without tripping on the rocks.

More brown figures emerged from their hiding spots. What a fool she was. Raiders risked letting the Guardian loose one time they were not willing to let it happen again. Of course they would guard the home of the Guardian which explained the blood on the ground. Obviously many others have tried before her and have died trying.

"We've got one!" a voice yelled out. More followed.

"Bring her down!"

"Shoot her! Shoot her at will!"

Arrows flew in the air but as long as Mae kept running they wouldn't get a good shot at her. She was near the cave now. Cooper already disappeared inside barking at her to hurry up. Another arrow struck her in the leg. She fell like a tonne of bricks and grimaced in pain.

"I got her!"

"Grab her before the Guardian comes out!"

Mae, desperate to stay alive, dragged her way to the cave and just as she passed under the mouth of the cave the ground started to rumble. The raiders who ran out to catch her stopped dead in their tracks as the rumbling grew closer. Mae looked up and saw the pointy, white teeth of a dragon nearing the mouth of the cave. Mae smiled and sat up pulling the arrow out of her leg and let the wound heal. The Guardian dragon stretched to the end of its chain standing right over Mae. It roared at the raiders and they backed away nervously, except one who stood in fear, probably the one nearest to the cave. The dragon immediately turned and snatched the lone raider in its teeth instantly crushing it and swallowed it in one massive bite.

Mae stood once her leg was healed and turned to the raiders. They looked positively steamed that one demigod got past their defenses and into the cave with the Guardian to look after her.

Murmuring spread through the raiders as they saw her toss the arrow away completely unharmed. "Hopefully you guys aren't as stupid as you guys appear to be," she said loudly. "I'm the freaking Fate Temptress so deal with it." She turned and jogged into the cave glad the Guardian was protecting her backside from a stray arrow.

She slowed to a walk as she walked further into the dark cave with only the Guardian's heavy footsteps the dragging of its metal chain across the ground. She heard Cooper and felt him rub up beside her. She placed her hand on his head and let him lead her into the furthest part of the cave.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw the back wall of the cave with a very long, heavy chain lying around in clumps attached to the wall. The dragon lay down with a mighty _thump _on a small pile of brown robes. Its body then started to jerk like it was coughing. It gagged up one more robe in a ball of saliva and dragon slime.

"That was just plain nasty," Mae said and made herself comfortable on the hard ground. She looked over her shoulder checking if any raiders snuck into the cave. "Do any raiders come back this far?" she asked the dragon. It understood her and shook its massive head.

Mae flopped down on her back and stared up at the rock ceiling. "I wonder how Ty and Brian are doing," she said knowing she wouldn't receive a word from the two animals with her in the cave. "I mean they are slaves again and are probably slaving away in the heat while I'm trying not to freak out without them. It seemed so simple at first. The plan, I mean. Sneak in, steal slaves, return them to camp the next day and do it all over again. It was so simple. We never thought raiders might accidentally stumble upon our camp and enslave us. Now I'm here in the cave surrounded by raiders, a chained up dragon, a dog who mocks me, and no idea of how to end slavery. My life positively sucks right now, no offence there, Guardian."

The dragon growled lowly as if saying none taken. It too rolled onto its back and mimicked Mae. She turned and stared at it as it licked its lips scavenging for any raider meat stuck between its teeth. "You know we could make it in here," she said. "I can always lure raiders in here for you to eat and in return we live happy lives forever. But then I would never see Ty again. But on the other hand I would never see Brian again. No more singing or constant complaints. But he always cheered me up. How's your life going for you there, Guardian?" The dragon sighed and growled again. "Yeah, that's what I thought too, pretty crappy. Well then I guess it's time to start thinking of a plan." She stretched out on the ground still staring at the ceiling thinking of how she could possibly get herself out of this mess.

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><p><strong>Well there you have it one of the last chapters for this story... Hopefully you can wait til friday or saturday for the finale? I haven't decided which day to post since I'm having friends over...<strong>

**PEACE!**


	45. Chapter 45

**This is soooo depressing guys... it's the last chapter :( how can I occupy my time now!... I'll find a way**

**So I hope you enjoy this chapter and it satisfies you guys on alll fronts**... **so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I WILL WIN THIS BATTLE! I DON'T OWN PJO**

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><p>Chapter Forty Five<p>

"I've got it!" Mae yelled excitedly and sat up after a very long sleep. The dragon growled and opened its eyes angry that it was awoken. She turned and stared at the dragon. "I think I have a way of getting you out!" She jumped up and jumped onto the dragon's leg. It didn't object and let her climb onto its back and search the collar for something. Her fingers found it, a large key hole where the chain was attached to the collar. That meant one of the raiders out there had to have a set of keys on them. Now to plan how she had to retrieve them.

She stood up and wandered closer to the mouth of the cave looking out for the raiders. Cooper trotted up beside her to keep her safe. She didn't dare go beyond the mouth of the cave. She saw raiders camping out all over the valley. They sat on the stones, on the ground sharping their swords or stringing up their bows. She could even make out a few personal slaves here and there serving the raiders' every need. Probably demigods, who wandered in, got caught in crossfire, and begged for their life to be spared even if it meant eternal slavery.

Mae looked out at the raiders trying to identify the ring leader of them all. There was bound to be one ring leader at least. There always was at least one in a group this big, one raider who called out the shots and kept everyone else in line, and that one would probably have the keys for the dragon as well. She sat down on the ground and began looking through the crowd for the one with the keys.

As the day wore on Mae's stomach began to growl. She ran out of food just as she reached the last bit of trail before reaching this valley. She can deal without eating for a day, or two days, or… ah never mind. She can survive without food for a few days. But water she was going to need. The dragon might have a source there in the cave with it. She would have to ask later in the day.

The raiders saw her sitting in the shadow of the cave but none of them touched her. As long as she was in the territory of the Guardian she was safe. No one would dare touch her. She continued to look at all the raiders she could see trying to spot anything key like.

Cooper joined her sometime in the early afternoon. He lay down beside her and looked at the raiders also. He growled when they came too close and kept his ears up the entire time. He was such a faithful and loyal companion. That's probably why people say 'dog is man's best friend'.

"Do you see any keys yet, boy?" she asked and leisurely stroked his fur. He sighed and set his head down on his front paws. "Yeah, me neither. I wonder which raider has them." They continued to watch the raiders as they nervously shifted their gazes towards the cave. _They should be nervous_, she thought. She actually got into the cave, and she introduced herself as the Fate Temptress. If history does indeed repeat itself then they should all be running scared of being eaten by an angry, imprisoned dragon that's hungry for their kind only.

One raider in particular caught her eye. It wasn't the way he looked or walked, it was the way he sounded. Cooper heard it too, the quiet jingling of keys on a loop. Her hand instinctively tensed without her knowing. Cooper took that as a signal and charged at the raider that held the keys.

"Cooper!" she yelled. "No!" But she was too late. Cooper had already charged the raider and took him by surprise. He jumped and started tearing him apart for the keys. The raider was already on the ground by the time Cooper tore off the keys from its belt. Just as he turned back to the cave an arrow was launched into his side making him yelp and fall to the ground. Mae gasped, forgot about where she was, and raced out to reach her dog. He shoved the keys toward her with his nose as another arrow pierced his side. Mae slid along the ground and grabbed the keys. Cooper looked up at her one last time and looked towards the cave. An arrow flew over her head. Cooper weakly barked at her to get a move on as he usually did. Mae nodded and ran back to the cave as an arrow found its mark in her back. She gasped and stumbled her way back into the safety of the cave with the keys safe in hand.

Mae gasped sputtered as she stumbled her way further into the cave leaning for support against the cave wall. She couldn't breathe properly with the arrow in her back and couldn't reach it either. She could have a collapsed lung. She heard raiders yelling at each other to rush into the cave and grab the keys but others weren't willing to risk their lives and enter the cave. Some would rather risk their lives than having the Guardian released again. They entered the cave. The dragon heard them and stepped away from where it was sleeping. Mae looked over her shoulder. The raiders were gaining. She hurried as fast as she could but the pain in her back only worsened. She fell to her knees just as the dragon raced over top of her and roared at the raiders to get back.

The Guardian bent its head down to Mae and gently nudged her. Mae shook the keys in her hand too weak to ask the dragon to lie down. The dragon, however, understood and set itself between her and the raiders. Mae fumbled for the collar searching for the lock. It was getting harder and harder to breathe know. She wheezed loudly and breathed more often than a normal human should. If she didn't get that arrow out soon she might as well be dead.

The keys hit the lock. She tried several keys but some of them had to be used for something else. The last key she tried slid into the lock and released the chain from the collar. The Guardian shook its head finally free of its burden. It ran out of the cave as fast as a bullet shot from a gun taking out of the raiders as it pleased. Mae turned and watched as the bloody scene folded out in front of her.

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><p>Tyler stumbled behind Brian as they finally reached the plantation they were to work on. It took a day to reach the auctions and another day to walk here, wherever here was. He was sold alongside with Brian and two other demigods at a very low price despite he was an older demigod. The raiders and slavers took one look at his mutilated leg and didn't bother shouting out a bid on damaged merchandise. He thought he would be sent back to the slave pits but one raider shouted out a bid and he was sold for fifty drachmas, his lowest price ever.<p>

His hands were untied and he rubbed his sore wrists and stood there in the line and waited obediently with the other slaves to be told where to work. The raider who bought them walked off and talked to a young man who looked over in their direction. The young man carried a whip at his side like an overseer would. The raider seemed to favour him.

The slaves quickly shuffled into a straight line before their new master and overseer. The raider eventually walked off towards one of the buildings. The overseer looked over all of them and stood before them tall and proud.

"I'm the overseer here," he said. "Try anything with me and I will make sure you wish you'd never been born. Get out of line twice I will lock you up in that small outer building in the back." He pointed to a lone stone building set off the property. It looked more like a storage building to Tyler. "It's not a pretty place that's what I can tell you. Today you'll be working in the tomato fields. Work hard and you'll be rewarded. Slack off and I will beat you. Do I make myself clear?" They all said 'yes, sir' except Tyler. He only nodded earnestly. He found out that being back in the auction made him go mute again. His words were stuck in his throat again.

"Follow me," the young man said and turned towards the fields. The slaves obediently followed towards the fields.

Tyler kept his gaze on the ground keeping an eye out for divots in the ground and rocks to trip on. Just one little mistake in the ground and his leg would instantly give out from under him. At least Brian was there to steady him but he would have to be a little more careful around the plantation. He couldn't risk letting his master see that he was weak. That would lead to punishment. He was sure of it.

He walked just a little bit behind the others lagging behind due to his leg. It wasn't used to this much walking. Right now he should be resting it and building up strength when it was good and ready. This was pushing it to the limit. As if on cue, he stepped onto his right leg, it wobbled and gave out from under him as he crashed to the ground. Brian turned around as he heard him fall and helped him to his feet. Tyler placed his arm over Brian's shoulders and let his friend help him walk to the fields.

"You okay, man?" Brian whispered as he helped Tyler hop his way to the fields. He shrugged. His leg felt like it was on fire but in a few minutes the fire would die down and he would be able to walk again.

The other two slaves had already picked up their baskets and dropped to their knees to pick the ripe fruit **(Tomatoes ARE fruits! I work with them, I should know!) **by the time Tyler and Brian reached the field. The overseer turned towards them and wasn't impressed.

"Hurry along, slaves," he called out. "You're wasting the master's time."

"Hey!" Brian called back. "Mister Boss Man! Can't you see this guy is a little injured and may need some assistance every now and then? Huh? Did you ever think about that?"

The overseer turned towards them with the whip coiled in his hand. He walked right up to Brian and stared down at him. "You watch your tongue, slave, or I might just have to cut it out." Brian said nothing but only glared back at the overseer before he slipped out from under Tyler's arm and went to work. Tyler forced his right leg down on the ground and limped his way to work. "Slave," the overseer said. Tyler turned. "Come here." Tyler obeyed and took a few steps back and stood before the overseer with his eyes on the ground. The overseer was obviously a very privileged slave. He's wearing sandals too.

The overseer looked down at his injured leg and frowned. He tapped it with his whip. "Can you work well with this leg?" he asked. Tyler raised his hand and moved it from side to side in a 'so-so' fashion. "Try to keep up with the others." Tyler nodded and brought his gaze back up. He was shocked at first when he looked into his overseer's eyes. He averted his gaze and quickly limped to work. Why did those eyes look so familiar to him? He's seen them before. They were Mae's eyes. Exactly like them without all the depression and sadness he saw in them. Mae had better be okay without him because he certainly wasn't. He bent down and plucked a tomato off the vine.

* * *

><p>Mae watched the Guardian stomp around on the raiders chewing them all to bits while the slaves huddled behind the rocks. The dragon was certainly enjoying itself while Mae was gasping for air.<p>

Then it all stopped. There was no more yelling only the Guardian's happy roars echoed through the valley and then the ripping of rotting flesh as it dug into a large meal. Mae wondered how much that dragon could eat in one day.

The clinking and clanking of shackles took Mae out of her world of pain. The slaves of course, how could she forget about them? She opened her eyes and looked up at one demigod who bent down over her. She looked down and saw a pair of shackles locked around his ankles. That's probably how the raiders kept them from running off during the night.

"Is she alive?" asked another slave Mae couldn't see.

Cool fingertips pressed against her neck feeling for a pulse. "Yep," said the slave in front of her. "She's alive."

"The arrow," she whispered barely audible.

"What did you say?"

Mae took in a deep breath and spoke as loudly as she was able to. "Take… arrow… out." She felt the slave's hands on her back as the arrow was pulled out. Mae hissed and sucked in great gulps of air feeling her lung repair and wound close up once again. She rolled onto her back and breathed in and out deeply. "Thank you!" she said and sat up.

"Take it easy, kid," the slave said and tried to stop her from sitting up. "We'll get you some nectar and ambrosia. I think some of the raiders had it in their packs. Just hold on."

"You idiot," she said and pushed the slave away from her. "I'm the Fate Temptress. I can heal myself." She stood up, wobbled a little, and picked the keys up from the ground and proceeded to unlock the shackles on everybody.

"Wait, what?" he asked and sat down as Mae unlocked his shackles. "You're the Fate Temptress?"

"Yes," she said and walked over to another demigod with shackles on her ankles as well. "Got a problem with that?"

"No, I was just expecting someone, well, more hero like."

"Oh," Mae said and walked to another demigod. "Were you expecting some macho manly man to save you all in a whole blazing guns fashion? Well sorry to disappoint. And might I add a bit sexist too."

"No that's not what I meant. I thought a more powerful demigod would play as the Fate Temptress or Tempter."

Mae turned and faced him. "Well I may just be some daughter of a minor goddess but I can kick ass when I want to. So if you'll excuse me I have some slaves to free and raiders to destroy." She tossed the keys back to him and walked towards the dragon that was waiting for her and further instructions. She passed by Cooper's body and looked down at it. She pulled out the two arrows lodged in his side and threw them as far away as she could. She bent down and stroked his fur one last time before murmuring some lines in Latin into his ear. His body sunk into the ground. Hopefully he would have a happy life in the Underworld. He's certainly deserved it. He could probably play around with Cerberus. He would like that of course. Mae flicked a tear away and walked towards the dragon.

The dragon bent its head down and let Mae jump onto its neck and hold onto the collar. She looked down at the demigods coming out of hiding and looking up at her. "Collect what provisions you can," she said clearly. "Head out of this valley and towards the forest on the other side of the mountain. There you should be able to find a way to camp. Don't fear the raiders anymore. They are no longer a threat. Take care, soldiers of Rome." She slapped the dragon on the neck and held on for dear life. The dragon growled happily beneath her and took off into the sky.

Mae's hands turned white as she gripped them tighter and tighter. This was more terrifying than riding on a pegasus. This thing flew too fast and daring, with its sudden plunges and twists. But this dragon would not let her fall. At least not yet.

The Guardian flew lower to the ground scouting the area for nice tasty raiders to devour. Mae good feel its stomach grumbling from beneath her. This was one hungry dragon. She saw a plantation beneath them. A small one but might as wells tart small and work big, fewer mistakes that way.

"Plantation just below us," she yelled at the dragon. The dragon's head turned downwards and dove straight for it. Mae held her breath and held on for dear life hoping that this nightmare would end soon. It soon did with a mighty, bone jarring thump. Mae nearly smacked her head against the hard, metal collar. She slipped to the ground thankful to be on sand. "You take care of the raiders I'll free the slaves." The dragon didn't hear her and drool splashed to the ground. "Okay, that was just plain nasty. Just go eat a raider for Jupiter's sake." The dragon took off.

Mae stood and dusted herself off. This was going to be a fun day. She saw the dragon roaring at the skies with a bit of brown robe stuck in its teeth. Well that was quick. She jogged over to the fields to the shocked demigods.

"It's okay," she said. "Just drop what you have in your hands, gather what provisions you can and make your way back to camp." They looked at her unsure of what to do. "It's okay, the Guardian won't hurt you. It's meant to protect demigods and destroy raiders. You can leave now."

One demigod walked towards her, probably around her age. "This isn't some cruel trick is it?" she asked quietly. "We've been through so much already."

"Believe me when I say this," Mae said soothingly. "You are free and will be forever. I'm not letting any of you guys become slaves again. Now go, get provisions, food, water, stuff like that and get back to camp." The slave in front of her smiled, dropped the basket she held and ran towards the low buildings finding anything that could be useful. The other slaves soon followed all smiling and rejoicing.

Mae turned her attention back towards the dragon who was breathing in and out in content. Drool splashed down from its mouth and onto the ground. "You're turn to pick a plantation," she said and mounted the beast.

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><p>Plantation after plantation, slave after slave, raiders being eaten over and over again. To say the least, Mae was very satisfied. If she were a child of revenge she would be cackling with delight. But she wasn't so she stared at the gory scenes and talked to the slaves announcing that they were free. They all did the same thing. They weren't sure at first, asked Mae many questions, she answered them to the best of her ability, and they all ran off rejoicing and smiling. That part was very rewarding.<p>

Many hours later when the sun was starting to set in the west, most of the plantations had been reduced to rubble and ashes. Mae felt like burning some fields as a way to have a little more fun and keeping her ADHD impulses at bay. The last plantation they stopped at was the largest one Mae has ever seen. It could be difficult to drop in unnoticed in a place like that.

"Drop me by the corn fields and wait for my signal," she said. "We have to take this one by surprise. There could be a lot of raiders crawling around." The Guardian growled and dropped steeply. Mae slid to the ground and the dragon took off back into the sky as face as it dropped. Mae shook her head trying not to black out. That drop was just a little too fast and steep for her body to handle. She wandered into the corn field.

Corn fields are the not the greatest things to hide in. For one thing the leaves rustle when someone or thing passes through it. The person can be easily spotted if there is no wind to blend the rustling leaves with. For Mae, there was no wind. Also the tops of the corn stalks move and wobble identifying the path that that somebody took. Everything was just fine and dandy for Mae. She silently cursed the corn stalks.

She reached the second last row of the corn field and peaked through the gaps in the leaves. A fence surrounded the field, followed by a path, another fence, and then more fields. Someone was standing on the path. The person had his back towards her. She saw that the person had sandals. _Probably a privileged slave, _she thought. Sometimes privileged slaves got to wear sandals. She's seen it before. The slave also carried a whip at his side. He was the overseer obviously for he was not toiling away under the late afternoon heat. The slaves should be stopping for the day soon. They should be anyway, or this plantation's master wanted serious work to be done. He hasn't noticed her yet. So she quietly slipped out of the corn field attempting to disable him.

The slave heard her feet crunching on the dry sand beneath her feet. He turned immediately and pulled off his whip. He pulled it back and struck Mae right on the face. She screamed and fell to the ground covering her face. That one stung a lot. She saw through the gaps of her fingers, the whip being pulled back to deliver another strike. She looked up at the slave and gasped seeing that the person that whipped her was the person she wanted to free the most, Kyle.

"Kyle," she said. "It's me. It's Mae." He didn't seem to hear her and brought the whip down on her raised arm. "Don't you remember me? I'm your sister!" He faltered for a moment. A look of confusion spread over his face. He kept the whip raised but didn't bring it back down.

"Do you remember the time when you rescued a baby pegasus from a raider?" She licked her lips and continued trying to bring Kyle out of his delusional gaze and make him remember that his sister was in front of him. "I was five at the time you brought it to camp but it was so little and scared. It stuck right by your side for a full week. Lupa even allowed you to sleep in the stables because it didn't like being alone. Do you remember what you named her? Do you?"

"Swallow," he said quietly barely audible. He slowly lowered his hand that held the whip. He was looking at something far away that only he could see.

"That's right," Mae said and slowly stood up. "Swallow, because she flew gracefully like a swallow. You know I saw her back at camp. She's not as energetic as she was when you were around but just wait til she sees you. Remember when you just finished training her and you wanted to take me up on her for a ride? I was seven at the time and you knew I hated pegasai. But still you wanted me to ride one. You tried to lift me onto her but I bit your hand refusing to get on that beast. You still have the scar from it." She pointed to his hand. Kyle absentmindedly started to rub the faint scar on his hand in the arrangement of teeth. Mae saw that she was starting to break through to him and took a few steps towards him. "Then there was the day we were captured in a raid. We were at the auctions getting our brands. You already received yours before me and when they wanted to brand me I shrieked at them and kicked them. You looked out of the slave pen and talked to the auctioneers saying that if you held me I would be quiet. They allowed you to come in and hold me as the brand was set. You stroked my hair and told me everything would be alright and I believed you. And then we were placed in the slave pen waiting to be sold. You sat down on the ground and held me close as we waited. You kept saying everything would be alright and if that we were separated someday we would be together. I always believed you when you said that. I haven't given up, Kyle. We will be together soon, today in fact."

Mae took a few steps more and placed a hand on his shoulder. He finally met her gaze. "Kyle, it's me, Mae."

"Mae," he said. His lower lip began to tremble. A tear slipped down his cheek. He dropped the whip and embraced her tightly. Mae hugged him back just as hard. "I missed you."

"You have no idea how much I missed you," she said.

He pulled away from her and looked for any skin damage from the whip. "Did I hurt you?" he asked and traced the scar running down from the side of her face from the Master Lightning bolt.

Mae shook her head. "Nope, no damage. Now listen, we have to get the slaves out of here. All of them, okay?"

Kyle nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "We should hurry. My master will be com-"

"Who do you have here, boy?" a voice asked. Mae turned her head. A raider stood a few yards away from them and guess what; it had to be the one with the large ego.

Kyle pushed Mae behind him and took a few steps away from the raider. "It's none of your concern," Kyle answered.

The raider smiled and walked towards them as they continued to back away. The raider picked up Kyle's fallen whip. "Where are you going, slave? You know you can't leave."

"I'm not taking orders from you," Kyle said. "Not anymore. I'm sick of being your overseer."

"Remember what I taught you when you first arrived, boy? To keep control of the slaves you have to show them whose boss. I guess you forgot. Well I can always reteach you and that other slave you're hiding behind your back." The raider pulled back the whip and hit Kyle again, and again, and again. Kyle fell and curled up on the ground as the beating continued. Mae backed away and looked up at the sky.

"Where are you going, slave girl?" the raider said and stepped over Kyle striding towards Mae.

Mae put her hand on her sword hilt and pulled it out. "I am no slave," she said bravely. She saw Kyle look over at her. "My name is Mae Admiral. I am the Fate Temptress and I will end slavery."

The raider laughed at her. "If you are what you say you are, slave, then tell me where is this mythical Guardian dragon of yours?"

Mae looked up at the sky. Hopefully she could whistle loudly just this once. It was all she was asking for. One loud and powerful whistle. She put her fingers to her mouth and blew the loudest whistle she's ever sounded. Tyler would be proud of her. On cue the Guardian dropped from the sky and landed beside Mae shaking the ground. It looked up at the raider and roared right in his smug, sun dried face. The raider didn't do anything that Mae could see and was gobbled up by the dragon.

"Go and fulfill your duty," Mae said to the dragon. It licked its lips, roared up at the sky, and flew off in search of more raiders to satisfy its hunger.

Mae sheathed her sword and ran to her fallen brother. "I knew I could depend on you for holding up our promise," he said and coughed.

She wiped the blood off his cheek and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "You need to get a haircut," she said. "And you need a shower."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "I think we have some visitors."

Mae looked up and saw about twenty demigods standing before her. She stood up before them looking at all the dirty faces. They looked at her in awe and with respect. "You are free to go," she said. "Slavery is over." And they all did the same thing. They dropped their tools and ran off to the buildings in the back for any provisions to take with them. All but two slaves left. One smiled at her with bright, white teeth and the other hobbled towards her favouring his right leg. She helped Kyle to his feet before talking to the two.

"Hey, Tyler, Brian," she said. "It's good to see you guys again."

Brian smiled. "Quite a show you put on there."

"Was it a little too theatrical?" she asked. "I was just trying to get a point across."

Brian shook his head. "It's exactly like I thought you would do. Although the dragon was a nice accessory."

"Thanks, Cooper sacrificed his life to help free the dragon. I'm sure he's in the Underworld having a good old time without us."

"Awwww, I was just starting to like that dog." Brian sighed and walked to the buildings to gather some provisions as well.

Tyler hobbled up to her looking between her and Kyle.

"Kyle?" she asked. "Are you scaring Tyler?"

"No," he said quickly. "But I can tell you two want to be alone for a moment. I'll be back in a few minutes." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and left the two friends to have a moment alone.

"Hey, Ty, sorry it took so long to get you out. Are you okay?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Did you go mute again?" she asked and took a step towards him leaving a tiny, little bit of space between them. He smirked and nodded. "I would love it if you talked again, Tyler Anderson." He blushed and looked away. "You're toying with me aren't you?" He looked at her and smiled mischievously. "Fine, you win this time." She stood up on her tip toes and pressed her lips onto his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her off her feet lifting her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair.

Tyler pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "You don't know how long I've wanted to do that."

"Same here," she said and dropped back to the ground. "We should get going. We have to get all of the slaves out of here and not to mention the ones at the market."

"You always have to make excuses don't you," he whined. "And just when I thought we could be together."

"We can be," she said, "at camp." She began to walk to where the slaves had gathered. Tyler followed as fast as he could, limping behind her.

She looked at the slaves as they chattered away and smiled holding provisions for a long journey ahead. "Follow me," she said. "I will lead you safely back to camp. Don't worry about any raiders you may see. The Guardian dragon will take care of them."

She walked forward along the path leaving the plantation behind. They could get a few hours of walking in before it was too dark to see. They began to walk across the desert and leave it behind forever.

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><p>They crested a small hill as the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Mae stopped and looked at what remained of the market down below. The other demigods stopped as well. The buildings were burning as the dragon hunted down the fleeing monsters and raiders. She saw slaves being freed from the slave pens and running off in groups carrying what goods they could.<p>

To Mae it was the most beautiful sight she's ever seen. The sky was streaked with many colours of red and orange as the last of the sun's light faded away no longer harsh and threatening. A soft breeze blew down carrying fine grains of sand down into the valley. Tyler's scarred fingers slipped into her flawless ones as they both looked down and smiled at what they saw. She could finally say what she's wanted to say for all of her life.

"It's over," she said. "Slavery is over."

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><p><strong>Well was that good enough for you? Don't worry there's the epilogue to look forward to.<strong>


	46. Epilogue

**The final step to finishing this story... I hope you guys enjoyed it and thanks so much for the reviews and support and the cookie eating (take one before you leave) the fiends are fully satisfied and have agreed to stop biting my legs for the rest of the day...**

**Disclaimer: I HAVE DEFEATED YOU! HA! I don't own PJO or anything related to it.**

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><p>Epilogue<p>

"Wake up, Chloe," Mae said and shook the small demigod awake.

Chloe opened her eyes and rubbed them. "How much further until we reach camp?" She sat up and stretched.

Mae smiled. "Can you walk for five more minutes?"

Chloe smiled and stood up quickly and walked towards the large group of demigods making their way through the dense forest safely hemming in the camp. Mae smiled and jogged up to the front of the group leading them back to camp.

After three days of walking they finally reached camp. The group of freed slaves grew very large containing too many demigods to count. All Mae knew was there was a lot, all eager to return to their one true home.

Mae was the first to see the Wolf House but wasn't the first to enter. The demigods raced by her and into the Wolf House of the safety of the camp. She was one of the last ones to enter alongside her brother and two friends.

"How much has camp changed since we were captured?" Kyle asked.

Mae shrugged. "Not much, probably a few more cabins but not much. I don't think Lupa likes change."

Kyle laughed. "I remember when Chris and I tried to smuggle a TV into camp for the Mercury cabin after losing a bet. When she found out about it she nearly expelled us from camp."

"I remember that," she said. "You got what, ten laps around the camp and stable clean-up for a month?"

Kyle laughed again. "Three months actually. Worst three months of my life."

Mae smiled and hugged him. It was good to have her brother back. They were once again a family.

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><p>Mae ran down the hill behind the massive horde of demigods. Not many others were around when they arrived. She could see that a lot of them were injured from a recent major battle. A lot of them trickled out of the cabins. Forty were assembled by the time the horde reached the cabins. Not many survived from the battle and those who did were not left unscathed.<p>

The demigods merged together and started to talk and embrace old friends. Everyone was finally home. Wolves howled and wagged their tails as they saw all the demigods before the cabins. Even Lupa joined the chorus of howls, their own way of thanking the gods for a safe return.

Mae saw Chloe search the crowd for her own brother Zach. "Hey, Chloe," she yelled over the constant chatter. "I think I might know where he is." Chloe looked over at her and nodded. Mae led her to the Pluto cabin and knocked on the door. Zach answered looking all bleary eyed and little banged up from the battle as well.

"Can you not disturb me when I'm slee-" He looked at Mae then at the girl beside her. He didn't smile but hugged Chloe instead. Both began to cry after finally being reunited. "Thank you, Mae," he said quietly. "Thank you."

Mae nodded and left the two siblings to be together. She looked through the crowd for old friends. She saw Ben and decided to tackle him with a hug like he did when she first arrived back at camp. She snuck up behind him and then bolted at the last second taking him down to the ground.

"Whoever just did that, prepare to have your ass kicked." He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled. "AHHH! IT'S YOU!" He tackled her back and they both rolled on the ground.

"Good to see you too, Ben." They sat up from the ground. He frowned and then punched her in the arm. "Ow." She rubbed the sore spot. "Don't you know you're not supposed to punch a girl? We break easily."

"That was for pretending you were dead," he said. "Don't do that again."

"I promise I won't. Dying once is hard enough." They both stood up and looked at the crowd of demigods. Old friends and siblings reunited forever. Mae wandered back into the crowd again in search of more friends. She found one Bounty Hunter, Joel who was talking with a sibling of his. He stopped in mid-sentence and looked over at Mae. She smiled and waved at him before disappearing back into the crowd. Joel waved but didn't understand what he just saw.

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><p>When everyone was settled and minor wounds were healed the demigods assembled themselves in the dining hall. The tables were full, fuller than they had been in months. Mae was glad when she saw Kyle already seated at the Libintia table. She slipped down beside him and whispered, "Get a haircut."<p>

"After dinner," he said and fixed the short braid that held the dark hair away from his face and out of his food.

Lupa sat down in front and the demigods instantly. "Let us thank the gods for the recent victory against the Titans and that many demigods have been freed from slavery. To the gods!"

"To the gods!" they repeated and walked up to the hearth to scrape a portion of their meal into the blazing fire. The sky rumbled above them appreciating the meal.

Mae sat down again by Kyle who was already licking his plate clean.

"What?" he said. "I'm hungry." She shoved her plate in his direction.

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><p>The demigods gathered for the campfire sing-along which Brian happened to be leading.<p>

"Alright listen up, you guys," he said. "Now, I want to welcome all of you guys back to camp and to those of you who fought the Titans, good job. Two thumbs up for you guys! Now this is a mortal campfire song but I think it's a fun song to sing-along." He closed his eyes gathering the song in his head. He opened his eyes and began to sing. "_I was walking in the woods just the other day and I saw a purple people eater coming my way and he put me in a biiiiiiiiiggggggggg pot and man oh man was it ever hot."_

Mae rolled her eyes and sat down beside Tyler and all her other close friends. Tyler leaned close to her and whispered into her ear, "I was claimed by Cybele." He pulled away and was grinning from ear to ear.

Mae smiled and hugged him tightly. "Told you she was an earth goddess."

"I knew that before you told me."

Mae rolled her eyes and sat closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her. Another person joined the fire setting himself down beside the Bounty Hunters. Mae looked over and saw Zach, a new Zach. His hair was finally cut short against his head making him look a lot more sophisticated and neater than he used to be. He looked at Mae and raised his eyebrows. She nodded in approval.

As the stupid songs continued she looked up at the night sky staring up at the stars. She took in a deep breath of the familiar camp air. She was home. Now and forever, surrounded by friends and family. Mae could finally use the word that seemed to be out of grasp. They were and forever will be free.

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><p><strong>There you have it... The end of the story and I just want to thank you guys again for the moral support... I don't think I've could've done it without you guys... thanks so much!<strong>

**~booknerd95**


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